Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to respectfully request that my final grade in Phil 246, Normative Ethics, be converted to a Credit Received grade. The grade currently recorded in this course does not accurately reflect my engagement, effort, or academic ability, due to significant health challenges that affected my ability to complete the final course requirement during the semester.

Throughout the term, I remained committed to the course and consistently attended lectures, missing only a few classes due to illness. I engaged seriously with the course material and invested considerable time and effort into my work, as I always do. However, during the latter part of the semester, I experienced ongoing health complications that required repeated travel between Kingston and Burlington for medical care and overall time off from school and work. These circumstances disrupted my ability to maintain a stable academic routine and required me to take time away from school in order to focus on my health and recovery.

The primary impact of my final grade resulted from the course’s major written assignments. The course structure allowed students to complete one of two major papers, meaning that only one assignment was required for this portion of the course. Because of this structure, the assignment was not considered eligible for extensions or academic consideration. Unfortunately, during the period when the first paper was due, I was recovering from surgery. This was my first time under this kind of anesthesia or doing any kind of surgical procedure, so I was advised to prepare for at least a couple of weeks of rest and attention to my body. For the second paper, I had a severe viral infection that required me to return home for medical attention. My doctor did not have any kind of treatment or medicine to offer me, and the only thing I was advised to do was rest and give it time. It ended up being a couple of weeks dealing with fevers, nausea, and overall fatigue. During this time, my health significantly limited my ability to complete academic work at the level I usually maintain.

Despite these circumstances, I completed the second paper and sent it to my professor, along with an explanation of my situation. However, it was not accepted for grading due to the course policy regarding the written assignments, which I was aware of. My hope was, that it could at least be graded with late marks being applied (which the syllabus did not specify was not an option), given that I was ill and had been granted academic consideration. However, Professor Gordon-Solmon did not accept my paper, even with late marks.

As a result of these circumstances, the grade recorded in the course is largely the result of health-related barriers that occurred during an unfortunate window of time in the semester rather than a reflection of my overall engagement or academic ability. Given that I attended and participated in lectures throughout the term and made genuine efforts to complete the required work despite health challenges, I believe the current grade does not accurately represent my performance as a student.

I am grateful for the academic consideration processes that supported me in other courses during this time; however, because of the structure of this particular course’s assessment policy, I was unable to access similar flexibility and understanding for the final assessment despite health circumstances.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that the current grade be converted to a Credit Received grade, which would acknowledge my completion and participation in the course without allowing an exceptional semester of health challenges to misrepresent my academic record.

I am extremely grateful for your time and consideration in reviewing this request.

Yours Very Truly,
Nora