Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,

I am writing to respectfully request approval for academic changes related to both my current and upcoming course enrolment. I am seeking to retroactively drop CHEM 112 (Fall/Winter 2024–25) and BIOL 339 (Fall 2024), as I was unable to complete these courses due to personal and health-related circumstances. Both courses have extensive academic consideration requests submitted and supported with documentation.

This past academic year has been extremely difficult for me both personally and medically. For BIOL 339, I was granted consideration for both the original and deferred final exam dates; however, I was ultimately unable to attend either due to ongoing health issues. I remained in contact with the professor, but we were unable to find a suitable time to write the final exam during the Winter term. I currently have a grade of 32/50 for the coursework completed, with the remaining 50% tied to the exam I could not complete.

In CHEM 112, I also had approved academic consideration for both the mid-year and final exams, including the deferred dates for each. After discussing my situation with the instructor, she advised that a course drop would be the most appropriate option, especially given the in-person nature of most of the assessments. Due to the severity of my health condition, it became nearly impossible to keep up. All of my documentation is valid and can be verified through the Academic Consideration Office.

Additionally, I am requesting an extension to complete my deferred exams for BIOL 200 and BIOL 206 (Winter 2025). These were originally scheduled for May 16 and 17, but I was unable to attend due to a possible eye infection. While I submitted a short-term academic consideration request, it was withdrawn as deferred exams require a formal petition. I am more than willing to write these exams at any time during the summer, subject to the instructors' approval. I plan to book an appointment with Student Wellness Services to further discuss my health concerns and provide a more complete picture of my medical history, in hopes of receiving a clearer diagnosis. This academic year has been extremely challenging for me, both personally and mentally, as I’ve been managing persistent gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, quite honestly, for at least 2-3 years now. These issues have made it difficult for me to speak openly about my condition, and I continue to feel a sense of embarrassment discussing them. However, I am now in a better position to seek support and advocate for the accommodations I need moving forward.

Despite these challenges, I have completed all coursework for my other Fall and Winter courses, and I am expecting updated final grades for BIOL 205, BIOL 331, and PATH 381 to be reflected in SOLUS shortly. I am hoping that BIOL 200 and BIOL 206 can be added to that list as well.

Lastly, I would like to request permission to add PHGY 215 and PHGY 216 to my Summer 2025 schedule. I have previously completed both, earning a C and C- respectively, but I am confident that I can significantly improve my performance this time. I reached out to Academic Advising on May 2nd, 2025, via drop-in Zoom, and spoke with Heather, who advised that the courses would either be added manually or that the exclusion preventing my enrollment would be resolved. However, a week passed with no change, and repeated attempts to rejoin drop-in advising were unsuccessful due to high demand. I finally connected with another advisor on May 16th and was directed to submit this petition. You may confirm these interactions with Academic Advising, and the supporting documentation with Academic Consideration.

Thank you very much for your time and understanding. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Shiv Parekh