Academic Relief
Recognizing there may be extenuating circumstances that may impact your academic responsibilities,
Brescia requires supporting documentation for academic relief. For a list of circumstances
that would be grounds for relief and the required supporting documentation, please
download the document below.
Types of Academic Relief
There are three ways you can request academic relief:
- Self-Reported Absence
- Medical Absence
- Non-Medical Absence
The nature of your situation/request will determine which route to pursue when requesting
academic relief. Factors affecting your eligibility for consideration or which method
would be most appropriate for you to submit your request are:
- The duration of time needed
- The number of self-reported absences submitted in the term
- The weight of the course component
Self-Reported Absence
If you experience a short-term unexpected illness or extenuating circumstance (48
hours or less) that prevents you from completing a course component or assessment,
you may be eligible to submit a Self-Reported Absence. through the online portal linked
from your Student Center main page.
What can be self-reported?
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Any absence (up to 48 hours) for course work worth 30% or less of your final course
grade can be self-reported with the exception of the following:
- Final exams
- Midterm exams scheduled during the December exam period
- Final lab examinations scheduled during the last week of the term
How many times can I self-report?
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Students are able to submit a maximum of two self-reported absences during the academic
year (September-April) and a maximum of one self-reported absence during the summer
term (May-August).
How do I self-report?
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- Log in to Student Center
- Click on the Self-Reported Absence link located on the right-hand side under Student
Services Links
- Carefully read the instructions and complete the form, indicating each of the courses
that you will miss during your absence
- Email your instructor(s) following your Self-Reported absence to discuss a new deadline/make-up
date
Do I need to provide documentation for my self-reported absence?
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No. Documentation is not required for a self-reported absence. Please see below for
when documentation will be required.
What happens if I’ve used my two self-reports?
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For absences beyond your two self-reported absences, you must submit an academic consideration
request, along with supporting documentation, to The Hive as soon as possible.
Please review the full self-reported absence policy as noted in the Academic Calendar.
Medical and Non-Medical Absences
All medical and non-medical requests must be submitted alongside supporting documentation.
For circumstances that would be grounds for consideration, and the required supporting
documentation, please see the Types of Accommodation and Documentation chart.
The University recognizes that a student’s ability to meet his/her academic responsibilities
may, on occasion, be impaired by medical illness. Illness may be acute (short term),
or it may be chronic (long term), or chronic with acute episodes. The University further
recognizes that medical situations are deeply personal and respects the need for privacy
and confidentiality in these matters. However, in order to ensure fairness and consistency
for all students, academic accommodation for work representing 10% or more of the
student’s overall grade in the course shall be granted only in those cases where there
is documentation indicating that the student was seriously affected by illness and
could not reasonably be expected to meet his/her academic responsibilities.
Documentation shall be submitted, as soon as possible, to The Hive at Brescia together
with an academic accommodation request form specifying the nature of the accommodation
being requested. These documents will be retained in the student’s file, and will
be held in confidence in accordance with the University’s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy. Once the petition and supporting documents have been received and assessed, appropriate
academic accommodation shall be determined by the Dean’s Office in consultation with
the student’s instructor(s). Academic relief may include extension of deadlines, waiver
of attendance requirements for classes/labs/tutorials, arranging Special Exams or
Incompletes, re-weighting course requirements, or granting late withdrawals without
academic penalty. Academic relief shall be granted only where the documentation indicates
that the onset, duration and severity of the illness are such that the student could
not reasonably be expected to complete his/her academic responsibilities. (Note –
it will not be sufficient to provide documentation indicating simply that the student
“was seen for a medical reason” or “was ill.”)
Whenever possible, students who require academic relief should provide notification
and documentation in advance of due dates, examinations, etc. Students must follow
up with their professors and their Academic Advisor in a timely manner.
Documentation from Family Physicians and Walk-In Clinics
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A Western Student Medical Certificate (SMC): is required where a student is seeking academic relief. This documentation should
be obtained at the time of the initial consultation with the physician or walk-in
clinic. Hard copies of the SMC are available from The Hive at Brescia.
Documentation from Student Health Services
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Students wishing to obtain documentation from Student Health Services will be required
to have a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) completed during their appointment. Students
will be required to pay $20.00 to have the SMC completed by their doctor. The form
is available by following the link above.
Requests for Academic Relief
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As a Brescia student you may need to meet with an Academic Advisor. Please connect
with the Hive to determine whether this is necessary. An Academic Advising appointment
(if needed) can be booked by calling The Hive at Brescia at 519.858.5151.