Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing for missing the deadline to appeal a final mark and for my final grade in MATH 120 (Fall and Winter, 2015) exempted from my GPA.

During the course of second year, I was under a great deal of personal stress that negatively affected my academic performance. My mother was diagnosed with cancer causing me to commute home frequently to be of a presence during that difficult time. Being in a course as demanding as MATH 120, with weekly practice problems and needing to schedule additional time to grasp concepts, my lack of focus affected my performance as my priorities were somewhere else. I did deal with my stress by seeing a personal counselor on the Queens campus. However looking back, I realize how dishonest I was during my sessions as I made it appear I was dealing with my stress and mental health appropriately. I was told from the Head of Mathematics, Dr. Gregory Smith that marks could not be exempted which is the reason I was unable to appeal this after my final mark was given. It was only until I met with an academic advisor earlier this term that it was brought to my attention that I could make an appeal. Recently, I have encountered a number of unfortunate events preventing me from being more persistent in submitting an appeal. My father underwent a stroke this past August, a day before I was to return for this academic term my mother was admitted to the hospital for colonitis, my grandmother passed away late September and upon coming back from the funeral, midterms and assignment deadlines occupied my time. The situations stated above were beyond my control that unfortunately affected my performance academically and my ability to send an appeal earlier. As of late, I have continued to see a personal counselor and have been honest about the events that I have underwent recently. Additionally, I have been making less trips home in order to focus on my academics as my parents have discussed with me that I have a responsibility to continue and finish my studies to benefit my future. My parents has also health has improved as they have received positive results but are still being monitored. Over the summer, I spent a lot time with family, have seen the progress they have made and it has put my mind at ease allowing me to focus on my academics.