Report #295

DATE: March 21, 2005
PARTIES: Mr. P., the Appellant v. UTM


Hearing Date(s): December 3, 2004

Committee Members:  
Prof. Ed Morgan, Chair
Prof. Pamela Catton
Ms. Yuki Johnson
Mr. Ari Kopolovic
Ms. Maureen Somerville

Judicial Affairs Officer:
Mr. Paul Holmes

In Attendance:
Mr. P., the Appellant
Prof. Gordon Anderson, UTM

UTM – request to graduate with a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 – alternative request for late withdrawal without academic penalty – courses taken 15 years prior to appeal – university degree required in order to keep job – inadequate ground for  granting relief especially after passage of time and number of attempts to reregister and raise cumulative GPA – cannot waive academic standards for employment needs – appeal dismissed

Request to graduate with a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50. Alternatively, the Student requested late withdrawal without academic penalty from three courses. The three courses were taken, and failed, 15 years prior to the appeal. The Student claimed that his employer required him to have a university degree in order to keep his job. The Committee found that the Student’s need to keep his job was not an adequate ground for  granting relief especially after the passage of time and the number of attempts by the Student to reregister and to raise his cumulative GPA. The Committee found that it could not waive the University’s academic standards for reasons extraneous to the university environment. Appeal dismissed.