Is it possible to debug mod_security2 issues without root access?

I've been developing an application in CakePHP recently, and all was well until it wasn't. On our development server (which I control) the application runs just fine. On the live server (which our university controls) most of my POST requests result in a 403 page. I've figured out that PHP is never even being called in these cases, and I'm 99% certain that the only real configuration difference between the two is mod_security2.

Here's my trouble. I cannot see the error_log file, because I am not root. I can't even list the directory that it's in. We have got to have the slowest admin on the planet, and I'm trying to get past this issue as quickly as possible. Is there any way to debug mod_security2 without simply throwing bits of post data at it until it breaks hoping to "guess" at what you might be doing wrong?

I've tried looking through the configuration files (which I do have read access to) but I've never used this mod before, and it's like wading through molasses. I don't even know where to begin.

Disabling the开发者_StackOverflow mod outright isn't an option, I'm simply going to have to work with it I'm afraid. HELP.