Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Xinyi Yue (Evelyn), an undergraduate in Art History at Queen's University (Student ID: 20251784). I am writing to formally request the application of the Aegrotat (AG) Standing to adjust my final grade for ARTH 308: Gothic Art, which I took in Fall 2023 with Professor Matthew Reeve. I apologize for the length of this letter, as I aim to provide all relevant details for your consideration.

1. Background
I have been approved for academic accommodations due to chronic cervical and spinal health conditions, which allow me to defer exams for health-related reasons. In line with this accommodation, I requested a deferral for the midterm test (worth 20%) initially scheduled for October 24, 2023. Despite following the proper procedures and multiple attempts by both my academic advisor, Ms. Caroline Teske, and myself to communicate with Professor Reeve, we received no response over the subsequent two and a half months. Consequently, I was not given the opportunity to take a deferred exam or an alternative assessment, as stipulated under Queen's policy.

To ensure transparency and clarity, I have also cc'd you on the relevant email exchanges between myself, Mr. Alan Jeans (Manager of Queen's Student Accessibility Services), and Dr. Norman Vorano (Department Head of Art History and Art Conservation). These discussions provide additional context for the issues raised in this email and demonstrate my steps to address them. ( These are just parts of emails; if necessary, I'm happy to provide more relevant ones.)

In addition, my research essay (worth 40% of the final grade) received a grade of B+ (78%) despite the professor's announcement on OnQ that errors related to missing page numbers in footnotes would result in only a single-grade-level deduction. I acknowledge that I made this mistake, but when I asked Professor Reeve during office hours how my essay would have been graded had I included the page numbers, he explicitly stated it would have received an A or A+.

Moreover, this essay, with only the addition of proper page numbers and no other substantive changes, was later recognized as a Highly Commended submission in the 2024 Undergraduate Global Award, placing it in the top 10% of undergraduate art history essays globally（https://gua.soutron.net/Portal/Default/en-GB/SearchResults）. I believe this recognition underscores the quality of my work and suggests that the deductions applied to my grade may have been excessive. I am happy to provide both the awarded version of the essay and the original submission (with the professor's comments) for comparison.

2. Concerns
The final grade of C I received in ARTH 308 reflects two significant issues:

· The missing midterm test grade: Based on my performance in similar courses (e.g., ARTH 212: Medieval Art, where I consistently scored near full marks on comparable tests), as well as my overall academic performance in Fall 2023 (all A or A+ grades aside from ARTH 308), I believe the missed midterm unfairly lowered my final grade.
·Excessive penalty on the research essay: Despite Professor Reeve's stated policy, the deduction for my missing page numbers appears to have been more severe than initially communicated.

3. Request
In February 2024, I received an email from Mr. Alan Jeans confirming that my grade could be adjusted to 80% (A-) under the AG Standing, contingent on submitting a petition. I sincerely appreciate this option, but given the above circumstances, I respectfully request that the grade be adjusted to 85% (A).

This request aligns with the principles of fairness and academic integrity, ensuring that the final grade accurately reflects my performance and the quality of my work. Adjusting the grade would not only address the procedural shortcomings and communication barriers I faced but also uphold the consistency of academic evaluations at Queen's University.

4. Additional Context
As an international student from China, I have faced numerous challenges that have significantly impacted my mental health and academic journey. Following Professor Reeve's refusal to respond to multiple attempts at communication by both myself and my academic advisor, I experienced months of persistent anxiety and insomnia, which eventually led to physical symptoms. During this time, I had to rely on over-the-counter sleep aids purchased online to manage my condition. Only after a summer of rest and recovery could I regain the emotional and physical energy needed to address this matter and prepare for my graduate school applications.

Please consider this request, which would significantly support my graduate school applications, due December 15, 2024. If adjusting the grade to 85% is not possible, I would kindly ask that the original adjustment to 80% be processed as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and understanding. I would greatly appreciate it if you could reply or make the decision as early as possible. Please let me know if any further documentation or clarification is needed.

Sincerely,
Xinyi Yue (Evelyn)