Suffolk Law Student Handbook

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History of treatment (if medical/mental health situation) including, but not limited to, age

of diagnosis, recommendations for medical/therapeutic interventions, compliance, use,

and side effects of medication, and treatment successes

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The unpredictability and/or severity of the situation and the impact on functioning and

performance across a variety of settings

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History of communication regarding the specific issue or condition with the Dean of

Students Office

In the case of a medical or mental health situation, medical documentation submitted to support

the petition shall:

be as contemporaneous as possible with the exam interruption

confirm that the condition has an element of unpredictability

include an opinion from the treating physician or clinician that the interruption was

directly caused by the diagnosed medical/mental health condition

Please note that a medical diagnosis alone does not automatically guarantee relief. Furthermore,

a diagnosis of test anxiety in and of itself is insufficient to support a request for relief.

Students who have been properly excused from a final exam will be subject to the examination

excusal provision in Rules and Regulations III. F. Failure to Take Examinations. Should the

interruption occur during a mid-term assessment, relief, if available at all, will be determined on

a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Dean of Students in consultation with the course

instructor, an Associate Dean and/or the Assistant Dean for Academic Services and such

determination shall be final.

Relief for Graduating Students

: In the event that the student is due to graduate immediately

following the exam period in which the exam interruption occurred and the matter cannot be

resolved by withdrawing the student from the course in which the exam interruption occurred,

the law school may offer alternative relief if reasonably available. The decision to offer

alternative relief to a graduating student and the nature of such relief shall be made by the

Assistant Dean for Academic Services, Dean of Students and Academic Associate Dean and

such decisions shall be final.