Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to the Office of the Associate Dean (Studies) to request a credit standing in Psychology 215: Sensation and Perception taught by Professor Nikolaus Troje. I feel that my personal situation reflects one that would meet the criteria of a credit standing as: a student, who has completed and passed all of the work of the course, including the final examination, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected. Although it is recommended that these credit standings are for grades of a C of a lower, I have spoken to Professor Troje and he supports my appeal for a Credit Standing with a grade of a C+. I have read and do understand why a CR is only recommended in cases when the grade is a C or lower, but I still feel that the best option for me, both academically and personally, would be to request for a Credit Standing in place of my mark.
The primary extenuating circumstances that has contributed to my lower performance in the course was my drastic and unexpected decline in health starting in March. My current medical situation, as documented with and accommodated through with Disability Services, is carefully monitored by multiple neurologists and doctors that are seeking to develop an effective strategy to manage my chronic migraines. This has been an ongoing condition that I have dealt with successfully throughout my four years as Queen's, but it has not been as bad as it was during the Winter 2016 semester. For unknown reasons, my health rapidly deteriorated and resulted in me staying overnight at Kingston General Hospital. Once I was discharged, I continued to be bedridden on a frequent basis for the next few weeks. I also made multiple trips back to Toronto for medical assessment and treatment to deal with the change in my migraines. As a result of these circumstances, I missed the midterm, one of the tutorials and numerous weekly quizzes at the beginning of each lecture. As per my accommodations I was able to reallocate these marks to the final exam making it worth 58, which I studied for as best as possible and received a C+.
In summary, I do not believe that a C+ truly reflects my understanding of and ability in the course as a C+ Indicates an acceptable comprehension of the course material, meeting and in some cases exceeding basic standards. I think that a Credit Standing would be more representative of my work in this course, and would not lower my GPA as a result of the extenuating circumstances during my final semester at Queen's.