Category 2 or 3 Requests for Relief
This guide is intended to help students in preparing a request for relief using one or more of the following as grounds: medical or compassionate circumstances, extenuating circumstances beyond the appellant's control, bias, inaccuracy, or unfairness.
Note that requests for relief based on medical or compassionate circumstances should in most cases have been made to the student’s Academic Advising unit at the time of the circumstances. Requests for retroactive relief based on such circumstances and which do not involve the fairness of the course itself should be initiated with the Academic Advising unit of the student’s Home Faculty and include a clear explanation of why academic considerations were not requested in a timely manner.
Please refer to the new policy.
Deadlines
A student who has been denied academic consideration may ask for relief of the decision to the Associate Dean of their Faculty of registration as soon as possible after the decision is communicated. If not, a clear explanation is required to address why the request for relief was not initiated in a timely manner.
A request for relief against a decision concerning program eligibility must be made to the Undergraduate Chair of the department in writing by June 30. A request against a decision of the Undergraduate Chair must be made to the Dean in writing within three weeks of the Chair's decision being issued.
Students requesting a Dean’s Waiver of Progression Requirements must do so in writing to the Dean of their Faculty by June 30 (if required to withdraw at the end of April), or within 30 days of the grades becoming available through their Student Center, as posted by the Office of the Registrar (if required to withdraw following any other session).
Requests for relief regarding Scholastic Offences and other matters not related to the normal completion of a course during a regular academic session (including requests for relief against grades in a Special Examination, satisfaction of "Incomplete" requirements, etc.), must be made in writing within three weeks of the date of a decision being issued. In the case of a scholastic offence, the procedures for a request for relief are set out in the Policy on Scholastic Discipline.
The deadline for an appeal to the Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA) against the decision of a student’s Associate Dean is within six weeks after the decision has been issued.
To Whom should the Request for Relief be sent
Requests for relief for undergraduate students ordinarily proceed in the order: course instructor, Undergraduate Chair of the department offering the course, Associate Dean of Science or Basic Medical Sciences, and the Senate Review Board Academic (SRBA).
A request for relief relating to a specific course (e.g., with respect to a mark, grade, appropriateness of assignments or examinations, or grading practices) must be initiated with the course instructor.
Requests for relief on other matters should be initiated in the office having immediate jurisdiction over the particular requirement or regulation in question. For example, a request for relief against a decision concerning program eligibility must be made to the Undergraduate Chair of the department offering the program.
Procedure
1. Grounds and Supporting Documentation
In accordance with the policy on request for reliefs, all grounds advanced in a request for relief must be supported by a clear and detailed explanation of the reasons for the request together with all supporting documentation.
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- How did the medical, compassionate or extenuating circumstances you encountered affect your academic performance?
- What actions did you take, if any, to address these issues?
- Did the University (instructors, the Department or Faculty offering the course) play any part in how these issues affected your academic performance?
The personal need of the appellant alone (to keep a scholarship, or to qualify for an entrance requirement) does not constitute grounds for a request for relief.
If you are unsure whether the grounds of your request for relief are valid, you are advised to contact the Office of the Ombudsperson for advice.
All non-medical supporting documentation must be submitted together with the request for relief. For requests for relief based on medical-related reasons, the appellant must decide whether to disclose the details of their medical conditions to the instructor(s) and/or Undergraduate Chair(s).
The voluntary submission of medical documentation to the instructor(s) and/or Undergraduate Chair(s) will allow them to take the information into consideration in the request for relief.
Alternatively, the appellant may choose to withhold the details of the medical documentation from the instructor (and/or Undergraduate Chair), and submit the medical documentation to the Faculty of Science Academic Advisors through our , in accordance with the University’s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy.
In this case, only the dates covered by the medical documentation will be released to the instructor and/or Undergraduate Chair. However, the instructor and/or Undergraduate Chair may decline the request for relief due to the insufficient information provided. The appellant may then direct the request for relief to the Associate/Assistant Dean, who has full access to Official Student Records, including all medical documentation supplied to the
2. Consultation with Instructor
The appellant’s discussion with an instructor could take place either in person or in writing. In either format, the
If the appellant and the instructor could not come to an agreement, the appellant should briefly record the points raised by both sides in writing and send the summary to the instructor for verification.
If the instructor agrees to grant the request, he/she will make the necessary changes on the appellant’s record. No further action is required.
3. Written request for relief to Undergraduate Chair
A written request need not be lengthy, but should clearly indicate the detailed reasons for the request and the relief requested. All relevant supporting (non-medical) documentation must be attached.
When applicable, the voluntary submission of medical documentation to the Undergraduate Chair will allow them to take the information into consideration in the request for relief.
Alternatively, the appellant may choose to withhold the details of the medical documentation from the instructor (and/or Undergraduate Chair), and submit the medical documentation to the Faculty of Science Academic Advisors through our , in accordance with the In this case, only the dates covered by the medical documentation will be released to the Undergraduate Chair. However, the Undergraduate Chair may decline the request for relief due to the insufficient information provided. The appellant may then direct the request for relief to the Associate Dean, who has full access to Official Student Records, including all medical documentation provided to the Academic Advising office.
The personal needs of the appellant alone (to keep a scholarship, or to qualify for an entrance requirement for a future degree) do not constitute grounds for a request for relief. If you are unsure whether the grounds you have in mind are valid, you are advised to contact the for advice.
If the Undergraduate Chair agrees to grant your request for relief, they will make the necessary changes to your record. No further reporting is required.
The contact information of Undergraduate/Department Chairs in Science and Basic Medical Sciences can be found here.
For request for reliefs concerning program eligibility in Medical Science, refer to the information on the .
4. Written Request for Relief to Associate/Assistant Dean
A request for relief against a decision of Academic Advising should be directed to Prof. Ken Yeung (aadasci@uwo.ca) for students in Science or Medical Sciences. The request for relief should address why the appellant believes the advisors’ decision should be overturned. It should not contain any new reasons that have not been presented to the advisor. The Associate Dean will formally respond to the appellant in writing to inform them of the decision.
A request for relief against a decision of an Undergraduate Chair in the Faculty of Science must be made to the Associate Dean within three weeks of the Chair’s decision being issued. All correspondence between the student and the Undergraduate Chair, and any relevant information and documentation, must be provided to the Associate Dean.
The request for relief to the Associate Dean should directly address why the appellant believes the Undergraduate Chair’s decision should be overturned. It should not contain any new reasons that have not been presented to the Undergraduate Chair. The Associate Dean will formally respond to the appellant in writing, informing their decision.
5. Senate Review Board Academic Appeals (SRBA)
Refer to the Academic Calendar for the full procedure of Appeals.
A student may appeal the decision of a Dean to the Senate Review Board Academic only if the decision falls within the jurisdiction of the SRBA.
Appeals relating to academic accommodations for students with disabilities do not fall within the limited jurisdiction of the SRBA. The appeal pocedures set out in the Policy on deal with issues regarding the receipt and/or implementation of academic accommodations.
Appeals relating to alleged discrimination do not fall within the limited jurisdiction of the SRBA. They should be directed to the Human Rights Office.
The SRBA has jurisdiction to hear request for reliefs of certain academic decisions of Deans. The Secretariat shall not accept, and the SRBA shall not consider, allegations set out in an Application for Hearing that fall outside of the SRBA’s limited jurisdiction.
A Dean's decision, which is appealed to SRBA, remains in full force and effect unless overturned or modified by SRBA. Please consult the for more details.
