Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: During the winter semester, my best friend since childhood died unexpectedly on March 15th at 33 years old. This greatly impacted my ability to focus and was incredibly jarring. Her disable mother was left as the primary caregiver for her two young children, and I made myself openly available to her during this difficult time.

On June 10th, a flare of ankylosing spondylitis started that included disc herniations in my back and neck, high levels of inflammation resulting in issues with TMJ and my hands. This required numerous hospital visits to combat the disease and mitigate symptoms. Due to medication changes, a basic viral infection resulted in a chest infection and another trip to the emergency room. I have been heavily reliant on family during this time to help with my 2-year-old son which has made everything even harder.

The changes made to online degree programs and fewer online course offerings meant I had to take more courses than I intended over the summer semester to ensure degree completion. With the onset of AS symtpoms, I was unable to keep up and then catch up with my academics over the course of the summer semester.