Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Ellen McGivern, and I am a third-year Chemistry student. I am petitioning to have PHYS 118 (Summer 2023) removed from my academic record. I am asking for this consideration because during that period I experienced two devastating unforeseen personal events beyond my control that significantly challenged my mental health and ability to be successful in this physics course.

In June of Summer 2023, I lost my beloved pet dog, who had been my best friend and support since I was eight years old. Then in August 2023, I was devastated by the loss of my grandfather. As background, a few years ago I was diagnosed with anxiety, which I work very hard to successfully deal with. But both events were a challenge to deal with and took a significant toll on my ability to complete the class and clearly impacted my ability to be successful in Physics.

The marks for the Physics course were based on a combination of participation in tutorials, weekly mastery-based questions and assignments, a midterm and final exam. When my dog passed away in June, I went through a period where I was unable to effectively interact and express myself to others and I also lacked any sense of my normal level of motivation. This resulted in my lack of participation in tutorials and other class work. Then, in August, when I lost my grandpa, my whole world was turned around as I was not able to deal with the fact that someone who had been by my side my entire life would no longer be.

As you can see through the academic consideration I submitted in June, I was trying to keep my academics intact by letting my professor know I needed extra days to work through things. Given that this was June, I appreciate that I could have dropped the course at the time, but I did not want to do that as I believed I would be able to achieve a passing grade though the final exam which was worth 60% of the overall grade. However, this was not a sufficient plan, as many grades were missed in my situation and then with the passing of my grandfather, everything got off track and my final exam grade was disappointing. Although I was working through things with my therapist, as you can see from my professional letter (attached), she can confirm that these events took a toll on my ability to excel in a complex subject.

Moreover, during the Summer of 2023, I was taking four courses in total, PHYS 118, CHEM 285, HLTH 230, and EMPR 240. As you can see from my transcript, I did pass the three other courses taken, but only barely passed CHEM 285. Given everything going on, I found it easier to focus on HLTH 230 and EMPR 240 as these classes were not as mentally challenging, and required less detailed focus than CHEM and PHYS. I was able to finally achieve a passing grade in CHEM 285 as I had previous knowledge of the material having taken part of CHEM 223.

I want to mention what I am doing now to be successful in my studies and how my anxiety regarding these losses is being managed. As seen through my transcript, I have taken a 6.0 unit physics class this year, PHYS 106, as PHYS 118 was not being offered, to ensure I complete the physics requirement for my program. To add, I am working diligently on my mental health as it was clear that these events took a major toll on my ability to complete my academic oligations, and going into this year with even more challenging classes, I was determined to do well. I have continued to see Nicole Myers, my therapist, bi-weekly throughout the whole year, discussing my success in school and how I am going to manage my anxiety in the future. Please see the professional letter attached to see Nicole's contact information, if needed, and confirmation of these sad events. My academic success is important to me, and having the PHYS 118 grade in my GPA and transcript does not reflect who I am as a student. I am hopeful that you will consider my petition and allow me to remove PHYS 118 from my academic record. I appreciate your time and attention to this matter.

Thank you,
Ellen McGivern