A petition to the Faculty of Arts Examinations and Standings Committee must be submitted in those instances in which a student seeks exception from normal Faculty or University rules and regulations because of special circumstances such as illness or bereavement. Petitions should be undertaken in consultation with the student's academic advisor.
Petitions may include (but are not limited to) the following: requests to drop or add courses after the deadline; withdraw without academic penalty; take an additional course above the specified maximum for a term; substitute for a required course; take a course on a CR/NCR basis (other than courses normally so designated); reconsideration of academic standing.
Appropriate supporting documentation must accompany all petitions and should include a timeline of events. Such documentation may consist of certification of illness/injury from a medical professional; statements from employers regarding work hours/conditions; documentation for personal difficulties from an appropriate counselling individual/body (e.g., Counselling Services, University Chaplain or other clergy); verification of bereavement (e.g., obituary notice). The Examinations and Standings Committee respects the confidentiality of all documentation submitted to it as it deliberates. Students should be aware, however, that claims made in a petition regarding another individual/body (e.g., claims regarding interaction between a student and an instructor) may require the Committee to verify such claims with that individual/body.
The Petition for Exception to Academic Regulations (Form 70A) form is available at www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/forms/Petition.pdf. See the Student Petitions and Grievances Policy (University of Waterloo Policy #70).