Guidelines for Petitions to the Academic Standards Committee

The Academic Standards Committee of the Franklin College Faculty Senate is charged with enforcing the academic graduation requirements for degrees in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The committee interprets graduation requirements and considers petitions for exceptions. Students may petition the committee to allow substitutions or waivers of course requirements, give area credit for core-level courses, or otherwise determine a student's eligibility for graduation.

The following points may be useful in filing a petition to the Academic Standards Committee:

• A petition should present the facts of the case clearly and concisely. You are acting as your own advocate and will make a better impression if your petition is well thought out and well written. Each petition should have as its first page the Academic Standards Committee cover sheet available offline from Lynda Riggins (300 Old College; lriggins@franklin.uga.edu).
• If you are appealing a departmental decision (for instance, a grade), provide documentation to show that you have failed to resolve the problem at the departmental level. This documentation usually means a letter from the department head informing you of the decision.
• If you are basing your appeal on a learning disability or physical handicap, you should provide documentation and a letter of support from either the Learning Disabilities Clinic (Milledge Hall) or the Office of Disability Services (Clark Howell Hall), which ever is appropriate.
• Provide documentation from instructors or others within the College. For example, if you ask for substitution of a course, obtain a letter of support from an instructor who usually teaches the course. Provide a catalog description and syllabus for the course you are questioning. If relevant, obtain a letter from your academic advisor.
• Do not clutter the petition with irrelevant issues. While the Committee is concerned about such issues as personal problems or financial hardship, its central focus will be maintaining academic standards within the College.
• Although the Committee is sensitive to confusion about graduation requirements, in the end it is your obligation to know and understand these requirements. The Committee will make exceptions only when they are consistent with the educational goals of the College.

Without adequate documentation and support, your petition is not likely to succeed.

Your letter and supporting documentation should present clearly and concisely the facts of your case-the committee will use these materials to reach a decision. If you would like to appear before the Committee you need to inform The Dean's Office who will inform you of the time and place of the meeting at which your request is considered. Shortly after that meeting, the Dean's Office will inform you by mail of the committee's decision. If you are dissatisfied with the decision, you may appeal to the Education Affairs Committee of the University Council, via Dr. Ann Crowther, Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Franklin House.