Petitions
All petitions must be turned in to the Office of Chapel Programs by the last day of the add/drop period each semester. Any petition received after that date will still be considered, but will only be valid to excuse absences from the date it is received in Chapel Programs. The student will be held responsible for any absences accrued up to that date. Additionally, any students submitting petitions after this date* will be charged a late fine according to the following time line:
- Within 30 days of the add/drop date, $125
- 31-59 days after the add/drop date, $150
- 60+ days after the add/drop date, $175
*Petitioning students who begin employment after the last day of the add/drop period will not be subject to this late fine.
Please Note: No petition will be automatically approved.
PETITIONS ARE VALID FOR ONE SEMESTER ONLY!
The Office of Chapel Programs will notify "petitioning students" of the decision by letter approximately seven days after the add/drop date of each semester. However, chapel attendance is the student's responsibility. If no response has been received from Chapel Programs within seven days after the add/drop date, it is the student's responsibility to contact Chapel Programs immediately. All correspondence from Chapel Programs will be sent to the student's APU mailbox or address on the petition. Note: Please submit a current address.
Reasons for Petitioning
- Commuter Students who live within 10 miles of the campus are required to attend chapel each semester. Commuters who live outside the 10-mile radius with no class directly before or after chapel may petition to be excused for chapel for the semester. Commuters outside the 30-mile radius with no class before chapel may petition to be excused from chapel for the semester. No commuter is automatically excused. Note: No petition is automatically approved.
- Work-Related Situations are excusable absences only if a student must work during chapel. However, it is the student's responsibility to submit a petition to the Office of Chapel Programs with an attached letter on company letterhead from his/her employer, stating days and hours he/she is required to work. All petitions must be turned in to Chapel Programs by the last day of the add/drop period each semester. If a job is acquired after the add/drop date, the student may still petition, but will only be excused for the chapels missed from the date the petition was submitted. Note: No petition is automatically approved.
- Emergency Absences: In extreme cases (e.g., hospitalization) petitions may be submitted at the time of the emergency. Note: No petition is automatically approved.
- Volunteer Positions are not excused.
Petition Attendance Modifications
If, for any of the above reasons, you are regularly excused from one chapel per week, you will be allowed seven personal absences per semester. If you are regularly excused from two chapels per week, you will be allowed four personal absences per semester. Once you have reached your limit of personal absences, any further unexcused absences will immediately result in Chapel Probation.
Students with Disabilities
Students who have a disability that prevents them from full participation in chapel should meet with an advisor in the Learning Enrichment Center as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure full participation in Chapel. Reasonable accommodations for students with verifiable disabilities will be assessed and determined by the Learning Enrichment Center and Chapel Programs. Please contact Victoria Stuard, Associate Director, at (626) 815-6000, Ext. 3321.
For more information about chapel attendance, please contact the Office of Chapel Programs at chapel@apu.edu.
