A faculty senate petition may be used to request an exception to a policy and/or to request a retroactive procedure. The Senate committee does not grant petitions automatically. Strong, documented justification must be provided to establish the circumstances that warrant an exception. You can find a comprehensive review of the student petition process and types of petitions.

Penn State Behrend students should discuss their situations with our college-authorized petition submitters prior to completing the petition.

Students with last same A–L should contact Fatima Pereira Kelly, student advocacy specialist. Students with last names M–Z can contact Jane Brady, college registrar.

Common Petitions

The most common petitions are retroactive withdrawals and retroactive late drops. The requirements for these two petition types are outlined below:

Retroactive Withdrawal

Student is requesting to withdraw from all courses on the transcript for a term after the withdrawal deadline.

Retroactive Late Course Drop

Student is requesting to late drop an individual course after the late drop deadline.

  • Student Petition Letter
  • Late Drop Form
  • Supporting Documentation*
  • Student must be able to explain why their circumstances affected this course(s) and not any of the other courses.
  • Student must explain why they missed the late drop deadline.

 

* Supporting Documentation – Along with the petition letter, students must provide documentation of the extenuating circumstances that they claim justify an exception to University policies. To the best of their ability, students should provide documentation for each extenuating circumstance mentioned in their student petition letter. Examples of documentation:

  • Medical or Mental Health Circumstance: Letter from a medical (or mental health) professional with a diagnosis and detailing the time frame, duration, and severity of the illness and how it may have affected academic performance. Documentation of hospital stays, appointments, and medications may also be provided.
  • Death of a Friend or Family Member: Death certificate or obituary.
  • Military Circumstance: Letter from commander with time frame and duration of deployment or other military-related event.
  • Divorce or Other Court-Related Circumstance: Court documents.
  • Letters from Advisers and/or Professors: It is always a good idea to provide these showing attempts to mitigate the situation during the semester being requested.
  • In the event that students provide petition documentation that is written in a language other than English, students are required to have the document translated before submitting. Students may use a translation service, which will provide a cover sheet with verification of translation. Students may know or be directed to a Penn State faculty member who speaks the language and request translation. In this case, the faculty member should include a cover letter with letterhead and signature verifying the translation. Documents must be translated before the petition is submitted to the Faculty Senate Office.

All petition materials should be submitted to the appropriate authorized petition submitter. That person will ensure the petition is complete and submit it for review. Petitions typically take 4 to 6 weeks for an answer.

Additional questions related to the student petition process can be directed to Jane Brady, college registrar.