Suffolk Law Student Handbook

i. the student experienced extraordinary circumstances during the semester, ii. the extraordinary circumstances affected the student’s academic performance, iii. those circumstances are no longer an impediment to the student’s academic performance; and iv. the student is likely to succeed in the study of law, including a likelihood of passing a bar examination. d. If a student who is not on probation but has been on probation previously is not in good academic standing at the conclusion of a semester, he or she shall come before the Academic Standing Committee, which shall determine, based on the student’s overall academic record and the student’s reasons for failure to maintain good academic standing, whether or not the student shall be dismissed or be permitted to continue on probation. e. Any student who fails to achieve good academic standing for the relevant year or semester three times will be dismissed, unless at least five members of the Academic Standing Committee vote that the student be allowed to continue on probation. (For example, a student would fall into this category if his or her grades for the first year were below the standards for good standing, his or her grades for the second semester of the second year were below the standards for good standing, and his or her grades for the first semester of the third year were below the standards for good standing.) In the event the student is allowed to continue on probation, the Academic Standing Committee shall set the conditions of such probation. Petitions for permission to continue will be considered by the Academic Standing Committee, consisting of six faculty members, the Dean of Students (serving Ex Officio ) and an Associate Dean. The Associate Dean, who shall be a member of the Law School Faculty, shall serve as chair of the committee, and shall only vote in the case of a tie. b. The student shall be afforded an opportunity to submit a petition in writing to the committee and to be heard before the committee prior to its decision. Full documentation of the circumstances must accompany the petition. If such reasons involve physical or psychological incapacity before or during examinations, full documentation of the problem from a treating professional must accompany the petition. c. If the committee allows a student to continue on probation, it may impose conditions, including but not limited to repeating a course, periodic meetings with a faculty advisor, an assistance program prescribed by the committee, limitations on employment or extracurricular activities, or taking a semester or year of leave prior to continuing. Academic Standing Committee a.

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