Faculty Senate

Graduation Appeals Committee

General Policies and Procedures

I.  ORANIZATION AND FUNCTION

The Graduation Appeals Committee (GAC) is a standing subcommittee of the Academic Standards and Curriculum Review Committee (ASCRC).

Article IV of the Faculty Senate by-laws gives the GAC "... power to grant exceptions to the faculty rules for graduation, admission, retention, and readmission.  The subcommittee shall consist of three faculty members and one student. The current chair and vice chair of the ASCRC and one student will serve as voting members. The immediate past chair of the ASCRC will serve as a non-voting member. The Registrar, or a deputy appointed by him or her with the concurrence of the subcommittee, shall serve as non-voting Recorder." (amended 11/10/05)

The GAC's primary function is to review and act upon petitions for exceptions to the rules governing graduation.  Student petitions for exceptions to graduation rules include general education requirements, minimum credits for graduation, transfer credits, and residency requirements.  The Associate Registrar provides the GAC with information regarding applicable university requirements and policies, working agreements, and the individual student petitioner.  Members of the GAC should be familiar with and apply the Academic Policies and Procedures as noted in the current UM catalog.

II.  STANDARDS USED IN REVIEW OF PETITIONS

The Graduation Appeals Committee is charged with following University policy governing the particular issue unless there are exceptional, compelling, necessary, and verifiable reasons to set it aside.

The GAC will ask the following questions of each student petition:

1. Is it exceptional?  Inconvenience and ignorance of the requirement are not considered exceptional reasons to set aside a requirement.  For instance, a student in his or her last semester will not be excused from a general education requirement because the class time conflicts with other commitments.  Similarly, the student who discovers that a class he or she assumed to be a "W" class is not, cannot expect to count it as one. 
2. Is it compelling?  There can be exceptional circumstances that are not compelling enough to approve a petition.  For example, a student attempted for three semesters to get into an upper-division "W" class but it was full each time.  As she approached her last semester, she had a time conflict with the class (which she could now get into because of the senior preference in registration).  While this is a somewhat exceptional circumstance, there were several other classes she could take to fulfill the requirement.  The student cannot expect to have the upper-division "W" requirement waived.
3. Is it necessary? Circumstances may be compelling, but the requested exception may not be necessary.  For instance, a student was mistakenly told that she had satisfied the Perspective 6 requirements, but discovers upon filling out the graduation application that she has not.  The student has ample time to take a class that will fulfill the requirement.  While the circumstances are compelling, the exception to University policy is not necessary.
4. Is it verifiable?  Petitions must be clearly written, the request succinctly stated, the circumstance specifically outlined, and documentation supporting the case supplied.  If a student, for instance, claims he or she was misadvised, a letter from the advisor is expected.  Students are responsible for building a case for setting aside a University rule.

III.  PRECEDENTS

Student petitions that are approved have specialized and unique circumstances surrounding the particular situation.  In every petition, the GAC looks at a number of different factors, many of them specific to the individual student.  Neither students nor advisors should assume that because one petition was successful, another requesting an apparently similar request is guaranteed success.  If the GAC notices a pattern in appeals, it may communicate to ASCRC, or the department involved regarding the possible need to seek a policy change.

IV.  PETITIONS

Petitions are available in the Registrar's Office.  The Registrar or designee is a non-voting secretary of the GAC.  It is appropriate for the Registrar's Office to review petitions and return them to students if they are incomplete.  The GAC will consider only completed petitions, with all documentation and signatures (student's advisor, department chair, and dean) obtained.