Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson, Associate Dean,

I am petitioning to receive an Extension of an Incomplete Grade for MICR 271 Introduction to Microbiology (Fall 2022) as I hope to receive the opportunity to re-attempt the final exam this Winter 2024 semester. To begin, I wish to express my sincere apology for the delay in this petition, as I understand that my petition is beyond the deadline. I hope to provide some context for this delay, but not to excuse this by any means. I was being treated by Dr. Ben Moreau for my medical condition during the Fall 2022 semester, yet he left his position. My condition severely impacted my MICR 271 final exam, yet I was unable to reach Dr. Moreau. Dr. Stephen Dougherty is my family doctor in my hometown, Calgary, and I was speaking to him remotely during the exacerbation of my condition. I had mistakenly believed that Dr. Moreau was the only physician who would be able to provide documentation for my condition, since he was the physician who I was seeing face-to-face. However, Dr. Dougherty has been aware of this chronic condition throughout its exacerbation, and his account of my circumstances is included in the attached Off Campus Physician’s Note.

I experience severe chronic/recurrent ocular migraines. The symptoms of my ocular migraines are debilitating, and involve severe pain, nausea, photophobia/difficulty seeing, and an inability to sit upright. They are unpredictable, and symptoms can last for multiple days. The symptoms are also highly resistant to pain medications like Tylenol or Advil. When I was younger, I experienced ocular migraines infrequently, yet beginning in December 2022, their severity and frequency increased substantially. During the December 2022 exam period, I experienced a severe ocular migraine on the day of my online MICR 271 exam, causing it to be re-scheduled during the deferred exam period. I continued to experience ocular migraines into the Winter 2023 semester, which made it extremely difficult to keep up with my academic responsibilities, and frequently reached out to the teaching teams of my Winter 2023 courses for consideration. My QSAS advisor, Ellen Babb, was aware of this condition and helped me manage my academic responsibilities given the unpredictability of my symptoms. My MICR 271 exam was rescheduled once again as I experienced another severe ocular migraine for the deferred exam, and I continued to experience the migraines throughout the semester. On May 9th, 2023, I was experiencing a severe ocular migraine which caused excruciating pain, nausea, and an inability to see and sit up straight. I hoped to push through my symptoms to write my MICR 271 online final exam that day because I worried I would not have another opportunity to do so. However, my symptoms inhibited me from even opening my eyes or functioning at a basic level – I would not be able to read any of the questions nor answer them, so I did not begin my exam. In hindsight, I wish I had petitioned for an Extension of an Incomplete Grade at that time so I could have the chance to attempt my exam at a later date. I mistakenly believed that I would not be given this opportunity, since I did not have access to Dr. Moreau at Student Wellness to provide documentation for this condition. Prior to my MICR 271 exam, my grade in MICR 271 was an A, yet my health circumstances during my final exam caused my grade to fall to a D+. I feel heartbroken that my health condition caused this outcome of MICR 271, especially because I felt very confident and prepared for the exam and put in immense effort for it all semester.

Before the Fall 2022 semester, my lowest grade on my transcript was a B. I care deeply about my studies and hope to have the option of graduate school. My ocular migraines during the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 semester impacted other courses as well, however, the detrimental impact on the outcome of my course occurs when scheduled to write an exam during an ocular migraine. The variability of this condition impacted which courses were most affected, given the unpredictable timing of when my symptoms would be exacerbated. For instance, I also experienced severe ocular migraine symptoms during the final lab exam for ANAT 315 (Fall 2022), contributing to my grade of a C+. Without these symptoms, I would have been able to write the ANAT 315 lab exam to my true potential. However, in this letter, I am only petitioning for MICR 271, even though my condition also significantly impacted ANAT 315, because I realize that this petition is delayed and may not be considered. If permitted, I hope to petition for ANAT 315 and explain my circumstances during that exam and course – however, I realize that I am beyond its deadline, so I will await feedback on this petition first.

My condition has improved since the Fall of 2022, yet still flares up unexpectedly. My plan for managing this condition involves continuing to investigate different medical treatments under the guidance of Dr. Dougherty. If I require more support, I will reach out to my QSAS advisor Ellen Babb again for guidance.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my petition.

Respectfully,

Alia Sims (20146070)