How to submit petitions
Unless otherwise stated on the Department Policy page, students in departments that require petitions for P/F grading should utilize the “general petition.” The general petition is a document that can be addressed to any administrator or faculty member on nearly any matter. To petition for P/F in a department without a specified procedure, complete the general petition, address it to the chair of your department (found on your department’s website or on the college catalog), and email it to that individual directly (CC’ing any other contacts listed at the bottom of your program’s catalog page).
Even if your department has not established a formal P/F petition policy, we urge you to file a petition to your department if you are in need of relief.
Tips for writing petitions
Communicate all relevant arguments and information. Petitions are a blank slate for you to argue your case in full. Assume that your petition is the only information a stakeholder will have when deciding on your request; generally, departments will not consider appeals to petitions.
Be as specific as possible. College Council has tried to implement a blanket P/F policy in every department; “P/F-by-petition” is a compromise we made for heavily impacted students to obtain relief from specific circumstances. In this way, while College Council recognizes the significant harms of the pandemic on student performance, general arguments about the pandemic will likely be unpersuasive to “P/F-by-petition” departments.
Outline specific harms to not receiving P/F. There are several compelling reasons that students might have for wanting a P/F grade instead of a quality grade. For example, students might have a job or internship offer that is contingent on a certain GPA level. Moreover, a student may not be able to graduate on time or may be put on academic probation if they withdraw or incomplete a class. While these arguments are likely insufficient by themselves, they are compelling arguments to complement your specific situation. In other words, only asking for a P/F grade to protect your GPA for the Dean’s List will likely not be persuasive.