Advocacy Letters for Students
Are you seeking a Letter of Support or Leniency?
FOR STAFF/FACULTY/INSTRUCTORS:
- Counselling Services will never provide specific details, evidence, or corroborating information on behalf of students.
- Counselling Services is not a gatekeeper to approve or deny students' academic requests.
- All decision making to approve or deny students' requests lie with faculty, instructors, and/or advising.
FOR STUDENTS:
First, if you are seeking a letter of support, it is important to reflect on how your circumstances are impacting you. Could you benefit from attending a counselling session? We are here to support your emotional and psycho-social wellbeing! We offer same-day appointments during our Walk-In Wednesdays, Group Therapy, Wellness Workshops, Single Session appointments, and on-going Personal Counselling. Please visit our website, drop by our office, send us an email, or give us a call to inquire more.
Counselling Services has moved away from providing personal Letters of Support or Leniency for students; however, we recognize and honor the need for advocacy letters. As such, we have created the Student Declaration of Extenuating Circumstances, a self-reporting advocacy letter, in lieu of counsellor written letters. Students can fill out this declaration when a formal Letter of Support or Leniency needs to be provided to a U of L staff member or instructor. Once completed, a Counselling Services staff member will review the declaration and forward it (via email) to the U of L staff member(s) and/or instructor(s) you identify on the document.
Who might use this Student Declaration of Extenuating Circumstances? Anyone seeking a letter for:
- Request for Leniency or Accommodation
- Letter for an Incomplete
- Letter for Withdrawal with Cause
Leniency/Accommodation - an advocacy letter to a professor during a term to request accommodation given an unexpected personal situation that has impacted your attendance and/or timely completion of course assignments.
Incomplete - an advocacy letter to extend the deadline for a course past the final exam date. This usually is an extension of 1 month maximum and is appropriate for students who have completed most of the course. Incompletes for a course must be approved by the professor and advising.
Withdrawal with Cause – as referenced in the academic calendar, the designation 'WC' is recorded only in case of serious illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, which make continuation in a course impossible and where an ‘Incomplete’ designation is not in order.
We do not provide letters for:
- Mental health diagnosis confirmation.
- Medical concerns (hospital visits, medical appointments, or physical illness).
- Immigration, Visa's, or international travel.
- Matters related to criminal charges, court mandated counselling, or other related circumstances.
- Student grants and/or Financial Aid.
- Employment, volunteer, and/or tenancy matters.
Before requesting a letter, ask yourself:
- Can my needs be resolved without a formal letter?
- Does my instructor require a letter to provide accommodation? (Instructors will often accommodate without a formal letter).
- Does my situation make it feel unsafe to request accommodation directly from my instructor?
- Is my personal issue more medical in nature? If so, consult a Physician.
- For a WC request: have I considered withdrawing on my own on the Bridge? (For most programs, including admission to graduate programs a ‘WC’ is not recognized any differently than a ‘W’).
Process of Declaration:
- Student downloads and completes the declaration and emails it to Counselling Services.
- Counselling Services has up to 72 business hours to review the declaration to ensure it is completed correctly and not used more than once per semester.
- Counselling Services will email the declaration to the U of L staff identified by the student in the document. Student will also be cc’d in the email.
- Student must follow up with the instructor and/or staff on the outcome of their request.