Appeal against the termination due to 3. 5 years leave of absence

[Lenon78]

My cousin was at Princeton, granted 5 years stipend, enrollment, visa, full rights, etc. and like some students in the same field, went on leave of absence from Princeton (after finishing coursework and General exams and passing a Prospectus there--3 years total) in good standing and approved to earn a JD at Harvard Law before expecting to return to Princeton to write the dissertation that combines both law degree knowledge and princeton program's knowledge together. At the time, August 2011, my cousin started at Harvard Law, he had been approved for 3 years leave from Princeton in order to pursue this. The policy states that 2 years is maximum but 1 year extension was granted in petitioner's case because JD program is 3 years. The current 2015 policy on the website states that no more than 3 years is allowed, period, I think.

However, he ended up going on *medical* leave from HLS partway through the program there, which puts his time away from 3 to 3.5 years. He did not directly inform Princeton about his illness or leave during it, nor did he contact them in spring 2014 when he was expected to graduate from HLS (if he had not gone on medical leave). When he reached out before the start of Fall 2014 classes, he was told that his status had already been terminated back in July 1 because they had not heard from him.

The health facts are complicated but the issue is simple in that my cousin's status is said to be terminated because the total time away from Princeton rose past the maximum allowed 3 years, and because the subject did not directly inform Princeton of their medical leave when the end of 3 years was up, which according to the current Leave policy (I think) and current Leave of Absence request form means automatic termination.

Can anyone help us out on what to do to appeal to the proper authorities so my cousin can re enroll?

Thanks a lot!

[juilletmercredi]

So - moot questions now - but one wonders why your cousin didn't simply inform Princeton of his illness, either when it happened or in Spring 2014 when he knew they were expecting him to complete paperwork, but he did not.  The current 2015 website actually says that no more than 2 years is allowed, period.

 

Was your cousin in contact with his advisor at all?  I think your cousin should contact his old advisor from Princeton.  See if the advisor support his return and him picking back up where he left off, and if the advisor is willing to support him in his quest to re-enter without reapplying.  Support from a professor in the department would go a long way towards smoothing this out either way.  The advisor might also be able to comment on whether your cousin's funding will be waiting for him when he gets back.  The Director of Graduate Studies in his department is another person to talk to, since that person is responsible for administrative issues including leave procedures.

 

Under Princeton's normal leave process, if a student doesn't return at the end of a leave of absence, he or she would have to reapply for admission the normal way.  This may not be a big problem if the advisor is supportive and everyone understands that it's a rubber stamp to return to the program.  The Dean of the Graduate School is the head honcho in charge of this stuff, so a conversation with him or her may be in order - potentially, though, after conversing with the advisor and/or the dean of students.

 

But really, you've got to turn inward on this.  If there's going to be any headway made then your cousin has to talk to people at the graduate school, and he has to have a really good explanation for why he didn't contact anyone either when he got sick or at any point after when he realized he wasn't going to graduate on time.  And if he hasn't been in contact with his advisor, he'll need to explain that too.

[Eigen]

Pretty much echoing what Juliet said. 

 

Termination following leave usually means you have to reapply to the program, and they decide whether to let you return or not.

 

A leave means you can return without reapplication, and frequently are guaranteed similar/same funding, depending on the terms of the leave. 

 

Since your cousin was granted an exception from the normal policy, and then didn't inform them of the need for a further exception, my guess is they'd need to reapply. 

 

I also agree that the first point of contact would be the the committee chair/advisor, and then likely the graduate school/dean's office. 

 

Chances are likely that there is no "appeal" for termination, your cousin will just need to find out what the next steps are.]

 

I would also wonder why it is you here asking for advice, rather than your cousin?