Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am in my final year of undergrad, and hoping to graduate this spring. I have one exam this semester, for Biological Chemistry (CHEM 323), that is scheduled for April 24th. It is a core course for my specialization, and I cannot drop it. I have applied to a master’s program, here at Queen’s, that I will start this upcoming year. My supervisors, Dr. David McLagan and Dr. Elise Devoie, are hiring me for the summer funded by a USSRF that I was awarded through the Civvil Engineering department. The issue here is that the fieldwork for my graduate project/this summer work needs to happen during snowmelt season (usually April 14th - May 3rd). One of the instructors for the biochemistry course, Dr. Chantelle Capicciotti, has given me the option to write the exam after the scheduled date and before her deadline to submit final grades (between April 25th and May 3rd). However, getting back from the field site, which is near Yellowknife, NWT, is not a simple thing and delays are hard to predict. I would also not have a lot of time to prepare for the exam, so that option is not ideal. It would be in my best interest, as well as the interest of my supervisors and the partnering organizations/communities, to write the exam before the field season.