behaviour and includes a disability that: www.rmit.edu.au/counselling How to appeal against a Special Consideration rejection h) presently exists, or i) p reviously existed but no longer exists, or j) may exist in the future; or(k) is imputed to a person. This also applies to a student who is a relative, spouse, partner or carer for someone with a disability. Therefore, the University is legally required to take reasonable steps to accommodate the effect of a medical condition on your ability to study. In theory, non-medical circumstances should be looked at similarly – what is important is how they have affected your study. This is why RMIT provides Special Consideration. A few last things If you have an ongoing or long-term illness, you may wish to apply for an Equitable Assessment Arrangement. You can get an application form from http://mams.rmit.edu.au/o2fcsu347cr3.pdf The form should be submitted at least 4 weeks prior to your assessment. RMIT Counselling Service is free for RMIT students. There can however be a long wait (usally a week) to get an appointment, but it is strongly recommend that students go and see them if they are struggling, lost or need someone to talk to. Their contact details are listed below. Fill in the form Firstly we recommend that you book an appointment with a Student Rights Officer. Appealing a Special Consideration rejection can be complicated and obviously the outcome is very important as it impacts on your results, chances to graduate on time and overall experience at RMIT. That said if you’re up for tackling it on your own and just need a little direction or want some information before your appointment this brochure should have you covered. Write your letter How should I prepare my appeal? Choose your ground of appeal Under the Special Consideration Policy, your situation must fall under one of the two grounds for appeal: RMIT’s Special Consideration webpage is www. rmit.edu.au/students/specialconsideration. • Important contacts RUSU Student Rights Officers T/ 9925 5004 Or E/ [email protected] • RMIT Counselling Service T/ (BH) 9925 4365 (AH) 9925 3999 Disclaimer The information in this leaflet is a general guide only. RMIT is a very complex environment, and there are often a number of different rules which apply. For more student rights information visit our website: www.su.rmit.edu. au/student-rights For Additional Assistance drop into a Student Union Front Office to speak with a Student Liaison Officer. Or, send detailed information regarding your case to student. [email protected] City Higher Ed: Building 8, Level 3 For enquiries call 9925 5004 Tivoli (Business): Building 108, Level 3 If required, an appointment will be made for you with a Student Rights Officer Carlton Campus: Building 57, Level 4 Brunswick: Building 514, Level 2 Bundoora: Building 204, Level 1 Has this leaflet been helpful? Join the Student Union and join the fight to improve your rights! that the university breached section 2 of the Special Consideration policy. Additional information about the Special Consideration Policy is located further on this brochure. This form is to assist you with preparing an appeal when your Special Consideration Application has been rejected. Appeals are made to the University Appeals Committee. You have 10 working days to submit your appeal after receiving the rejection email. Print out an ‘Appeal against special consideration outcome- University Appeals Committee form’ from http://mams.rmit.edu.au/exdthtemrj6d1. pdf you can also get a form from the Hub. You must fill in and submit this form for your appeal to be considered. Remember if you need additional help RUSU have Student Rights Officers available, simply book an appointment. On page two of the form you are requested to provide details of your appeal. You should prepare a detailed letter to attach to your application, as there is insufficient space on the form to properly explain an appeal. Remember to write on page two ‘see attached letter’. Provide a detailed explanation of the effect your illness or special circumstances had on your study and on your assessment/exam. The letter should be as detailed and specific as possible. Section 6.1(a) There has been additional relevant information that was not available at the time of the application. It is expected that your assessment result should generally be a good representation of your ability. So if your illness caused you to perform more poorly than you would have at another time, then the result is not a valid estimate of your ability. Section 6.1(b) There has been a breach of University Policy which has had a meaningful impact on the outcome of the application. The letter should follow this basic structure: Section 6.1(a) is often only successful in cases of misdiagnosis by a doctor. Students tend to be less successful when appealing under this ground than under 6.1(b). Here to appeal under section 6.1(a), you must provide information which was not in your original application, and which shows that the impact of your illness/ circumstances was so severe that you could not do your assessment. You must also say why the information was not available at the time of the application. Section 6.1(b) will usually involve demonstrating NB: This example is for how to write a letter for an appeal under Section 6.1(b) Academic Registrar’s Group, RMIT University To the University Appeals Committee, • My name is ………………............... and I am writing to appeal against the decision regarding my application for Special Consideration. The decision number is ……….......................….. My student number is …………………........ I wish to appeal on the ground that there has been a breach of University Policy. The policy which has been breached is the Special Consideration Policy, section2 (choose a, b or c here). Submit your appeal by one of the following means: 1. Email to: [email protected] at the Hub on your campus 2. Hand delivery to: Building 88, Level 8, 440 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 3000 I note that the University is bound under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 to take reasonable steps to accommodate the effects of any medical illness on a student’s performance in assessment or ability to prepare for assessment. Fax to +61 3 9925 8855 In the next part, write about the diagnosis, the symptoms of your illness and how it specifically affected your study or exam performance. Also consider the type of assessment you undertook. For example, if you had to take bathroom breaks during your exam, this would have a greater effect on a long-answer exam than a multiple choice exam because you would have several breaks in concentration. The Secretary On (Insert date) I was diagnosed with……………… and I experienced symptoms such as …………........... ................................................................................................................................ RMIT Melbourne Mail to: University Appeals Committee Academic Registrar’s Group, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne Vic 3001 This severely affected my study/exam performance on that day because, ………….……………………….... ................................................................................................................................ Then what happens? I also submitted evidence to prove this: ………………………….................................................………….... ................................................................................................................................ Your appeal will be considered by the Academic Registrar’s Group, who will decide whether your application satisfies the grounds for appeal. Therefore, by rejecting my application, a breach of University Policy on special consideration has occurred. I look forward to your response, Yours sincerely, (Your Name) (Your Student Number) A more detailed example of how to write a Appeal Against Special Consideration Outcome letter that provides examples and hints for appealing under either section, is available at: www.su.rmit.edu.au/ student-rights. Evidence Ask your doctor for a detailed letter explaining the symptoms of your illness and how they would have affected your ability to study or perform well in an exam. Ask friends and family for letters showing how your illness or hardship affected you. For instance, did they notice that you had trouble remembering things or concentrating? Include any other evidence that you think will support your appeal. For instance, phone records showing that you called your family frequently could support an argument that you were stressed about family matters. Non-medical grounds for appealing against special consideration can include, but are not limited to, the following: your car broke down on the way to an exam, marriage or honeymoon, homelessness, there was a death in the family or someone close to you, difficulties with relationships, coming out and/ or domestic violence. It helps to have good quality documented evidence if you need to apply for special consideration on these bases. If you can’t get all your supporting evidence together within 10 working days of receiving your Special Consideration rejection email, submit the letter within 10 days and submit further evidence within 5 days. • Don’t forget to submit your appeal within 10 working days. • Address your appeal to: The Secretary – University Appeals Committee If it does, an appeal hearing will be scheduled within 20 working days of the submission of the appeal. You will be informed by email within 5 working days of the hearing as to whether your appeal has been successful. At the hearing there will be a member of the Academic Board, a member of the academic staff, a Student Union Council member. You may be permitted to make a written submission at the hearing or speak if you wish. If your application does not satisfy the grounds for appeal, you will receive an email to say that your application for an appeal has been denied, along with reasons for the decision. You may then seek a review with the Office of the Victorian Ombudsman. See RMIT Regulation 5.4.4 on the RMIT website for more detail about the University Appeals Committee and hearings. Further policy information Section 2 – Special Consideration Policy Eligibility 2.1 Students may apply for Special Consideration on a range of health or compassionate grounds where they experience unexpected or extenuating circumstances during or at end of a semester which: a) Prevented them from submitting assessable task/s, or b) Prevented them from attending an examination, or c) Substantially affected their performance in the above. 2.2 Examples of unexpected or extenuating circumstances normally considered include: a) S erious illness or psychological condition – e.g. hospital admission, serious injury, severe asthma, severe anxiety or depression. Does not include minor symptoms associated with cold, period pain or hay fever. b) Loss or bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member, family/relationship breakdown. c) h ardship/trauma – e.g. victim of crime, sudden loss of income or employment, severe disruption to domestic arrangements Be aware that the examples in 2.2 are a guide only. The Special Consideration form often does not capture the full effect of the illness or hardship, which is why it is important to explain the full effect of your illness in the appeal letter. The complete Special Consideration Policy is available at: www.rmit.edu.au/ browse;ID=qkssnx1c5r0y Disability and how it relates to Special Consideration Disability is defined broadly in the Disability Standards For Education and includes most medical or psychological conditions. Disability, in relation to a person, means: a) total or partial loss of the person’s bodily or mental functions, or b) total or partial loss of a part of the body, or c) the presence of organisms in the body causing disease or illness, or d) the presence of organisms in the body capable of causing disease or illness, or e) the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body, or f) a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction, or g) a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgment or that results in disturbed