Petitions

The Examinations and Promotions Committee (E and P) has jurisdiction in the following areas:

• Exceptions to E and P Rules
• Changes to E and P Academic Decisions
• Changes to Work-term Evaluations
• Late withdrawals

The E and P Committee has no jurisdiction in the following areas:

• Course evaluation (e.g., revising a course grade)
• Course accommodations (e.g., deferred exams)
• Grievances (see Policy 70)

Students petitioning in the Faculty of Engineering for reconsideration of academic decision typically only need to complete the first page of the petition form, as petitions are presented, reviewed and judged during special meetings of the Examinations and Promotions (E and P) Committee. This means comments and signatures from advisors and instructors are not required.

Students must attach a letter or memo stating: a) the request, b) the extenuating circumstances, c) the actions taken during and after the term to address the circumstances, and d) the plan of action for success during the next academic term.

There is also space on the first page to list the supporting documentation provided with the petition. It is very important to verify your circumstances.

Submit the signed petition form, petition letter, and supporting documentation to the Registrar's Office prior to the petition deadline (typically one month after the official grade date, see Important dates).

As stated in the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar under Petitions, Grievances and Appeals, petitions do not challenge the fairness of their academic evaluation or the rules and regulations of the Faculty of Engineering. It is a written request for special consideration, complete with supporting documentation to verify extenuating circumstances.

Petitions in the Faculty of Engineering are normally reviewed by the Examinations and Promotions Committee in special petition meetings held approximately 2-2.5 months after the term involved was completed (meetings typically in March, July and November).

The Examinations and Promotions (E and P) Committee consists of 16 voting members, one from each of the following groups:

• Architecture
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• First Year Engineering
• Management Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering
• Nanotechnology Engineering
• Software Engineering
• Systems Design Engineering
• Co-operative Education
• Professional Development program (WatPD)
• Engineering Counselling
• Engineering Society (president that is on-campus the term after the term involving the petition meeting)

And two administrators from the Registrar's Office:

• E and P Chair, Assistant Registrar, Engineering
• E and P Secretary, Records Co-ordinator, Engineering

The E and P Committee member from your academic department (or the Co-op member for work term issues) summarizes and presents your petition to the E and P Committee, both orally and in writing. In addition to summarizing a student's petition, the E and P member from your department will present a summary of your academic history and relevant circumstances as recorded in your student file.

After the presentation and discussion of your petition, any voting member may make a motion to change your academic decision or status. Another voting member must then second the motion for it to be considered for a vote. The E and P Committee would then further discuss any remaining issues and then the voting members would vote. The motion would pass if the number of votes in favour of the motion is greater than those against (excluding abstaining votes). In the event of a tie, the E and P Committee Chair decides the outcome of the motion.

All members of the E and P Committee are bound by rules of confidentiality and are obliged to declare their biases when reviewing and judging petitions.

You should only consult the following people:

• Your academic advisor
• The E and P Committee member for your plan and level (often same as academic advisor)
• The off-stream ENGSOC president
• One of the Engineering Counsellors
• If the petition involves a co-op term, your co-op advisor

Attempts to contact all members of the E and P Committee are regarded as attempts to coerce the committee outside of the petition meeting. Each member will review a summary of your petition during the petition meeting.

Petitions are typically due four weeks after the official graded date of the term in question, and it is typically reviewed two weeks after the due date. Official notification is made through a letter from the Assistant Registrar of Engineering approximately one week after the petition meeting.

Students who are concerned about the presentation of their petition, may contact the E and P Chair to express their concerns. It may be possible for the ENGSOC president or an engineering counsellor to take a lead role in presenting the petition. It is the E and P Chair's duty to ensure that a student's petition is presented fairly and consistently as compared to the committee's common practice.

Students can not be present at the petition meeting. The E and P Committee deliberates in private. Students are expected to clearly communicate their case using written documentation. Sometimes students will request an Engineering Counsellor to supplement their written documentation by presenting personal data on their behalf to the E and P Committee.

Students can not appeal a petition. As stated in the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar under Petitions, Grievances and Appeals, "Since a Petition for Exception to Academic Regulations does not dispute an academic evaluation or application of the rules and regulations of the University, the decision of the Examinations and Promotions Committee with regard to petitions is final; there is no appeal of an unsuccessful petition."

It may be possible for students to re-petition if new information is presented. This would be subject to the new information presented and the timing. Please contact your academic advisor to discuss this possibility.

I believe I have been unfairly evaluated in a course. How can I resolve this?

• Informal resolution with your instructor by verifying the calculation of your grade and viewing your final exam (mark verification). You must attempt this within one month after your grade became official.
• If you cannot informally resolve the issue, you can file a Notice of Reassessment Challenge (see Form 70C) to the Chair of the department hosting the course.