PetitionsCommitteeReport2011-2012

April 4, 2012

  1. The Petitions Committee consisted of 9 members and a chair.
  2. They met or will have met approximately once a month during the academic year from October-May, and have reviewed approximately 170 petitions as of April 2012. (Last year’s committee met during the summer.)
  3. Committee members reviewed petitions and voted, with the chair voting in the event of a tie or when there were insufficient members present for a quorum (5 members), which happened on one occasion.
  4. Decisions were based upon a number of factors: the committee’s view of the petition’s validity, the student’s prognosis for success (GPA, course load, relevancy to the student’s major, etc.), whether the petition would lower established curriculum standards, etc.
  5. A relatively large number of course waivers were approved, which is primarily due to the policy change regarding developmental courses and because these courses are no longer offered.
  6. A number of exceptions to the 60 hour residency requirement were also given. This was due to the fact that there was a problem with the articulation agreement between Chattanooga State and the Engineering Department, in which a number of students arrived with an excess of 60 hours. The Engineering Department has been made aware of this and is working to improve the situation.
  7. The results of the Committee’s decisions follows:

Petitions Oct. 4, 2011 – Apr. 4, 2012

Type of Petition / Approved / Denied / Tabled
Excess Hours / 22 / 6 / 1
Waiver of Course / 26 / 9 / 1
Exception to Last 24 Hour Residency / 26 / 2 / 1
Exception to 60 Hour Residency / 6 / 1
Course Substitution / 3 / 2
Blanket Petition / 16
Suspension/Dismissal / 6 / 20
Other / 2

Respectfully submitted,

Lynn C. Purkey

Chair, Petitions Committee