Appeals Procedure

GUIDELINES FOR THE PROCEDURE TO APPEAL AN EXPULSION TO THE ACADEMIC STANDING APPEALS COMMITTEE – Fall 2024

Notice of Expulsion

If you are expelled from the College as a result of your performance during the academic year, you will be notified in early June of your expulsion by letter which will be sent by MIO and available under “My Omnivox Services” Important Documents & Messages.  

Academic Standing Appeal: Steps to Follow

A student who is expelled (denied permission to register) has the right to appeal to the Academic Standing Appeals Committee. Before making the decision to appeal you should consider carefully the reasons for your poor performance. As well, you should consider alternatives to returning to school, some of which are outlined below. Should you wish to make an appeal, these are the steps to follow:

1. Complete the Request for an Appeal (form at the bottom of this page) and send it to advancement@dawsoncollege.qc.ca no later than the deadline date indicated on the form (Thursday, January 9th at 4:30 p.m.).
2. If your failures are in part due to “circumstances beyond your control” and these circumstances can be documented, relevant documents must be enclosed. Examples of some relevant documents are:

• • Doctor’s letter attesting to illness – this kind of letter should indicate the dates and nature of the problem as well as the duration, and the degree of the illness or the problem, and the degree to which the problem interfered with your studies.
  • Letter from a professional (e.g. psychologist, social worker, counsellor) testifying to a serious family problem or an emotional or psychological difficulty – if you sought help on a continuing basis at the College in previous semesters, indicate whom you saw – e.g. an academic advisor, counsellor or AccessAbility professional, etc.
  • Death certificate or death notice in the case of the death of a close family member.

Make sure that your request shows that you have given a lot of thought to the reasons for your past failures. You should also indicate what steps you plan to take to make the next semester a success and the extent to which the circumstances which contributed to your poor performance have been resolved.

Your letter will be read carefully, and the committee will decide on the basis of your letter and any other relevant documentation whether to grant you permission to register, and under what conditions.

Requests for appeal may not be considered from:

• A student submitting a late request.
• A student submitting an incomplete request.
• A student who was previously re-admitted via appeal.

Academic Standing Appeals Committee

All the information you provide in your letter is considered confidential. The committee’s task is to assess how likely you are to succeed in the next semester if you are permitted to register.

The Decision of the Appeals Committee

The committee has considerable discretion in making its decisions. The committee’s decision is FINAL. It can uphold the decision to deny a student permission to register at the College. The committee may also insist on a program change or change a student’s course load if re-admission is granted.

You will be sent a letter explaining the decision. The decision will be available on the Omnivox portal under My Intranet, Appeal Status, starting Tuesday, July 2, 2024 at noon or as soon as it is made after this date.

Continuing Education

If the Appeal Committee grants you permission to register in Continuing Education at Dawson, you will only be permitted to register as a student in Springboard to a DCS (DEC) (i.e. you cannot register in a program).

Options for the Student Denied Permission to Register

You cannot return to a day program at Dawson until Fall 2025, but you have alternatives.

1. Take courses elsewhere next semester: If you plan to re-apply to Dawson after a year, you will be expected to significantly upgrade your academic record before re-applying. English courses are strongly recommended. Grades of 75% in four college courses would be an example of significant improvement. Continued failures, even in high school or non-credit courses, will make it impossible for you to return to day studies at Dawson.

• • Adult education: It is possible to take high school level courses at an adult education centre. You may wish to consider this in order to improve basic skills. English courses are strongly recommended. You may also want to make up courses in Math, Sciences or French.
  • Private schools: There are many private schools offering programs in computers, secretarial skills, etc. These are usually expensive and courses followed do not always count for CEGEP credits. Lists of schools may be found in the Yellow Pages or the Gazette Education Supplement. Choose carefully and make sure you are getting what you pay for.
  • Interest courses: You may wish to take non-credit interest courses through Adult Education or a community centre. Taking these courses could help you to decide what your interests are and help in planning future studies.

2. Consider working. A student often fails because he/she tries to work too many hours and study at the same time. Take the opportunity this year to work full time. Save enough money to study full time – without the need to work at the same time. Use work to get some experience; find out more about yourself and the rest of the world. References from jobs might help in your re-admission. The Student Employment Centre can help you with job searching, resume writing and interview skills.
3. If you can’t find full-time employment work consider volunteer work. The worst thing you could do this year is to do nothing. Paying jobs can be difficult to find, but there is always a need for volunteers at hospitals, community organizations, etc. Volunteer work can give you an opportunity to gain experience that could lead to paid employment. It can also help you to explore possible career areas. Again, references and gained experience will help in re admission. For more information phone the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal, 514-842-3351.

If you decide to re-apply to Dawson keep the following points in mind:

• You can re-apply for full-time studies for Fall 2025 (deadline is March 1, 2025) provided you have upgraded your skills and studies.
• You must include marks for all courses you have taken. You will be expected to demonstrate your ability to succeed at college level courses.
• You should choose your program of studies carefully – it would help to meet with an academic advisor. Please see Advising drop-in times here.
• Write a letter telling us what you have been doing and why you think you will be more successful this time.
• You should get letters of reference if you worked or served as a volunteer.

REMEMBER: RE-ADMISSION IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE APPEALS COMMITTEE MUST BE CONVINCED THAT YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL SHOULD YOU RETURN TO SCHOOL.