By Jasmin Johory
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH — American University of Sharjah students seeking to make their academic journey a little easier may be able to file a petition to allow an exception to AUS policies.
One problem though, is that many file official academic requests or petitions without knowing what is permissible, according to Registrar Lynda Ataya.
“The most common petitions are academic requests, like taking prerequisites and their courses together in the same semester,” Ataya said in a Feb. 11 interview. “There are other requests that students can petition for, such as medical withdrawals, [and] minor substitutions…”
Another issue, she said, involves students petitioning to retake a course they have consistently failed for a fourth time, whereas the current limit is three.
Not all decisions on petitions take long.
“I had applied for a petition regarding a fine on the fees I failed to pay by the deadline,” said Musab Hussain, a first-semester sophomore. “I expected the approval to take longer, but it was done in just one to two days.”
According to Ataya, students can submit the requests a month before classes begin, but some cases arise during the add/drop period.
200 petitions
According to university records, 200 petitions have been filed in the spring semester so far, a figure that tops the 190 filed in fall.
“Each petition undergoes a thorough review process, and not all are approved,” said Dr. James Griffin, vice provost of undergraduate affairs, in a March 4 interview.
He added that his office has thus far handled 120 petitions, 10 of which had been rejected.
“I make the final decision in the approval process for the petitions,” said Griffin, adding that any academic petition first goes through the department involved. “It has to be first approved by the head of the department, the associate dean, and then by me.”
Students can find petition forms on the AUS website through Academic Registrar Services.
Specific schools may have their own procedures, such as the College of Engineering, which has its own form for petition requests.
