Compass Curriculum Appeals Petition Form
The Compass Director is the ultimate authority for exceptions to requirements and
policies for this campus-wide education program. The Director has formed a faculty
committee for Compass Curriculum Appeals (CCA) to addresses students’ petitions for
exceptions. The committee will review your written request and make a recommendation
to the Director for a decision on your appeal. ALL INFORMATION MUST BE
COMPLETE AND SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY BEFORE YOUR
PETITION WILL BE REVIEWED.
INSTRUCTIONS: This form must be filled out and submitted electronically for review to
compass@uccs.edu by the second Wednesday of the month. Incomplete petitions will not
be reviewed, and will be returned to the student. All submitted materials must have
your name and student id listed in the email or filename. You must use your UCCS
email address to submit materials to us. Petitions will not be accepted without a letter
of explanation. In the case where a course substitution is requested, a course description,
a course syllabus, and a letter of support either from UCCS faculty teaching a course in
the area requested for appeal, or from the institution you are requesting to transfer in
credit are all required.
Appeals submitted in December will be reviewed at the beginning of the spring semester.
Appeals submitted in May will be reviewed at the beginning of the summer semester.
You will be notified by the end of the month of submission of the status of your petition.
If you have any questions, consult an Academic Advisor for your college in Main Hall,
2nd Floor, (719) 255-3260. Keep a copy of your petition for your records.
Student Information:
Name
Student ID
UCCS Email
Phone
Anticipated Graduation Date
Major
Request (Required):
Course substitution for Inclusiveness Requirement
Course substitution for Sustainability Requirement
Course substitution for lower division Writing Intensive Course Requirement
Course substitution for upper division Writing Intensive Course Requirement
Course substitution for Explore (Navigate course may not be substituted for Explore)
Course substitution for Navigate (Explore courses may not be substituted for
Navigate)
Other- Please explain
Letter of Explanation (Required): Petitions without an explanation will not be reviewed
by the committee. Include the circumstances surrounding the request as well as the
consequences of approval/disapproval (see example of letter on the back). For course
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substitution be sure to indicate which course you are hoping to use to substitute the
requirement with.
Supporting Documents (Required for course substitution): I have attached the following
material ALL in one email. Note, if not attached your petition will not be reviewed:
Course Description
Course Syllabus
but must include your name and student ID)
Faculty support (Email can be sent separately
Other-Explain
HELPFUL INFORMATION: Please remember that this packet will represent you to the
Director’s committee. Try to make it complete, concise, clear, and indicative of your
college-level communication skills.
To earn credit for a Compass Curriculum course such as an Inclusiveness, Sustainability,
or Writing Intensive course the course syllabus must specifically address the
requirements of those areas. Please see the Compass Curriculum website for more
information.
EXAMPLE LETTER OF EXPLANATION
Anonymous Student’s Name
995-99-9999
Spring 2004 CAP Petition
Explanation Statement
May 4, 2004
Thank you for considering my request for diversity credit substitution. I am a senior with four
credit hours remaining to complete this summer. I will fulfill these hours by finishing work for an
incomplete grade and completing a one credit hour class during summer session. I am writing to request
that my humanities class on China, HUM 399 completed in the Fall of 2004 with an “A” grade be
substituted for my required diversity credits.
I have taken a number of philosophy courses in the last three semesters dealing with the diversity
of religious beliefs and cultures around the world. While none of these courses is specifically designated as
being eligible for diversity credit, a one-time offering by Dr. Fred Bender of the Philosophy Department
and Dr. Chris Hill of the History Department stands out as being a likely equivalent. This course dealt in
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depth with the varying religious, philosophical, historical and cultural basis of the very diverse culture
within the Chinese nation. This course, building on what I have learned about eastern thought in
Comparative Religions and Buddhist Philosophy has given me a new understanding of and appreciation for
a work that was once “foreign” to my experience.
I believe that by extension, the understanding has broadened my acceptance of other, sometimes
drastically different views on such basic issues as women’s struggles, religious freedom, political freedom
and how misunderstandings about any of all of these issues can impact the direction of a nation. Other
courses n the approved list seem to be similar in character, such as Cultural Anthropology, World Regional
Geography, Intro to Racial and Ethnic Groups and Asian History: China. Hopefully this request is not too
far off of the mark.
Thank you for considering my request and I look forward to hearing from you.
*A student whose petition was unanimously approved by the committee wrote this letter.
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