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Deadline to request change in exam schedule: Nov. 2

The Rules of the Law School require students to take final examinations at the scheduled times, unless there are "extraordinary and compelling circumstances" or unless the Rules of the Law School specifically provide for re-scheduling. The applicable rules are stated below.

The deadline for submitting a petition to re-schedule a final exam is 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 2009. Petitions must be delivered to Ruth Robarts, Assistant Dean for Student & Academic Affairs, in Room 5105 or her mailbox on the fifth floor. Petitions are available at http://www.law.wisc.edu/webshare/02in/_0927102454_001.pdf. On the petition form, students must refer to the section of the rules that justifies the change of schedule or explain the "extraordinary and compelling circumstance". For example, having two exams on the same day requires a re-scheduling. Having purchased airline tickets to leave town during the exam period does not. In almost all circumstances, exams will be re-scheduled for a date very soon after the scheduled date. Exams are not re-scheduled for earlier dates.

Ruth will review the petitions and notify students of her decision as soon as she can.

After November 2, she will only accept petitions based on emergencies or circumstances not known to the student before November 2. If the emergency is food poisoning during the final exam period, students must provide verification of the illness by a health-care provider. If the emergency is a death, students must provide verification of the death.

Special category: babies or medical procedures. Students expecting a baby in December should contact Ruth to discuss ways to handle that kind of emergency. This includes fathers or father-to-be. Same for medical procedures scheduled during the exam period or that may occur during the exam period.

Please contact Ruth Robarts with your questions (rrobarts@wisc.edu or 262-8557). Please do not contact professors. In order to protect blind-grading, all re-scheduling of final exams is done through Student Services.

Rules for Rescheduling Examinations

Section 6.03

The policy of the law school is that all students must take examinations at the scheduled time unless there exist extraordinary and compelling circumstances, as defined below:

  1. A student who is scheduled to take two examinations on the same day may postpone the second examination to the first day on which the student does not have a scheduled examination. A student who has four consecutive examinations may postpone one of the exams for one week.
  2. Except in extraordinary circumstances, an examination will not be rescheduled later than the end of the examination period in which the examination is scheduled.
  3. An examination may be rescheduled subject to approval of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, in the following circumstances.
    1. Where illness or pregnancy of the student actually prevents the student from taking an exam, upon a physician's written certification to the Assistant Dean's office. A student who becomes ill during an examination and is unable to complete it must take a new examination.
    2. Where a member of a student's family or his or her "significant other" has died, and the student is attending the funeral or grieving.
    3. Where a Sabbath or other religious observance precludes a student from taking an examination.
    4. Where a student is attending the birth of his child.
    5. Other circumstances sufficiently similar in gravity to those above that equity requires comparable treatment.
  5. The following are examples of circumstances where examinations will not be rescheduled:
    1. Where a student is taking a bar review course in or within commuting distance of Madison. (Bar Review courses outside of Madison will be individually reviewed)
    2. Where a student has a professional opportunity that conflicts with a scheduled examination.
    3. Where a student is late, oversleeps, is caught in traffic, etc.
    4. Where a student wishes to leave early for the winter or summer break.
    5. Where a student has exams on 3 consecutive days.
  7. .....
  8. Whenever possible requests for postponements should be made to the office of the Assistant Dean not later than four weeks before examinations begin. Students should not request special arrangements for examinations from the instructor in a course. Questions about the meaning or application of these rules should be addressed to the Assistant Dean.

Submitted by Ruth Robarts, Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Affairs on October 20, 2009 1:44 pm

This article appears in the categories: Must-Know Info

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