Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Letter: To whom it may concern,

Thank you for taking the time to read the defense I provided you in regards to a credit standing for PHIL 351. I understand your reasoning for denying my request, yet I still feel my argument is valid for a credit standing, and I wish to appeal this decision.

As Dr. Stephenson mentioned in her email, Academic Petition and Appeal Regulation 3.3.1.4 states that credit standing is reserved for a course in which a student who has completed all of the work in the class, including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the class, but due to illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a lower grade than might have been expected.

As reviewed, I have attached two documenting letters from my Doctor and Therapist about the mental struggles and challenges I have faced this past semester. Prior to this year, I was unfamiliar with Ventus and the accommodations I would receive now that I was provided with them. In your email, you recognize how despite the struggles I faced with starting medication I was still “able to achieve high grades in other courses despite these circumstances.” While this email was sent before my other grades were received, for I am writing this while still waiting to receive a final grade for POLS 383, the courses I was able to excel in were because of the Professor and TA’s understanding of my circumstance and the extensions they were able to provide me.

For both POLS 212 and IDIS 373, my 7-Day Accommodation on Ventus was consistently honoured, in which I utilized, for most of my assignments were submitted submitted between the extra days, or past that, which was understood by my Professors because of the circumstance in which I explained to them. I will attach document proof of this as well. Furthermore, for POLS 320, every assignment was completed in pairs, where myself and the other student were able to use our Ventus accommodations as well. The three courses where you recognize I excelled in were because of the support I had through them. (Attached below as POLS 212 Proof)

In the case of PHIL 351, I had explained to Andrew that I need my Ventus approved accommodation, in which he refused to give me for certain assignments, including the Weekly Participation Questions that you mention in your email. If my accommodations were honoured by Andrew, it would have granted me the ability to submit the participation questions in a manner that I was capable of.

It should also appear evident now that my grade for POLS 350 was released, that I did, in fact, struggle this semester, and that PHIL 351 was not the outlier. Once again, I am still awaiting my final grade for POLS 383, and believe it fully supports my need for a CR in PHIL 351.

On a similar note, I am not the only student who had issues with Andrew Lopez in PHIL 351 this semester, as a petition was arranged by myself and a few students who had disagreed with Andrew’s teaching methods and reasoning for the grades we received. I will attach it along with this email as well.

Once again, I thank you for your time and respect the decision you came to, yet believe it is unfair for me to not defend myself when I am entitled to. If there is someone I can speak to directly about this manner, please let me know.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.
Lauren Hood
20280902