Cultural Events Petition Process


Instructions for Submitting a Cultural Events Petition

Please use the following instructions as a guide as you complete your Cultural Events petition. To view the instructions, select the type of petition you'd like to submit. There are four (4) types to choose from: 


Purpose of a Cultural Events Petition

The purpose of the Cultural Event petition process is to allow students to receive Cultural Event credit for events (past or present) that are considered to be culturally significant. There are several different types of experiences that students can request Cultural Event credit for, including: off-campus events, travel experiences, and military experiences (student veterans).

Students may not earn more than one half of their total number of required Cultural Event credits through a single event (e.g. trip abroad, conference). There is no limit to how old these experiences may be; however, all experiences must be post high school.

Petitions may be submitted by e-mail to culturalevents@winthrop.edu or turned in as hard copies to the Office of Records and Registration at 126 Tillman Hall. If you require assistance after reviewing the information on this page, please contact us.


In general, the following types of events will not be approved:

  • Public service announcements or general information sessions.

  • Traditional career and vocational education events (e.g., career fairs/networking events, professional development events, resume workshops, etc.).

  • Workshops and training sessions for everyday life skills (e.g., personal financing, time management, etc.).

  • Programs designed specifically for children. Events must be age-appropriate for college students.

  • Marketing events or events that serve primarily to promote a good or service (e.g., trade shows, fundraisers, political rallies, etc.). 


Review Dates

Petitions are reviewed by the Cultural Events Committee, which meets biweekly during the fall and spring semesters. In order to be reviewed at the next committee meeting, petitions must be submitted by the upcoming deadline. Any petitions submitted after the deadline will be automatically rolled over to be reviewed at the next meeting date. 


Decision of Petition

In all cases, once a petition is approved or denied by the Cultural Events Committee, the Cultural Events Coordinator will notify the student and will enter the approved petition(s) into the student's record. The Office of Records and Registration keeps the complete petition on file for one year. After that, reports and supporting materials will be discarded, and a copy of the petition form itself is all that is retained permanently. If you submit materials that you wish to have returned, please mark these clearly with your name and with "return" and make sure you come back to the Office of Records and Registration to claim them.


Appealing a Decision

A student reserves the right to appeal a decision made by the Cultural Events Committee. Students may request to appeal a petition decision to the Cultural Events Coordinator. The coordinator will assist the student to begin the appeal process.

Note: Students may not earn more than one half of their total number of required Cultural Event credits through a single event (e.g. trip abroad, conference). It should be noted and strongly emphasized that failure to attain the approval of the Cultural Events Committee does not reflect upon the quality or the validity of any event, nor the committee's support for the program being presented, only its relevance to the specific goals of the cultural events requirement. For clarification or questions about submitting a petition, contact the Cultural Events CoordinatorThe Cultural Events Committee reserves the right to award less than full Cultural Event credit to students if they feel that the student would benefit from exposure to on-campus Cultural Event programming or if it feels that these experiences represent a rather narrow focus and wishes to encourage them to broaden their experiences.