Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

My name is Jordan Prizant and I am a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science enrolled in a medial in Statistics and Economics. I am appealing for credit status in MATH 384, Mathematical Theory of Interest, due to medical extenuating circumstances.

As stated on the Arts & Science Academic Appeals website, credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which 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 control, earned a substantially lower grade than he might have expected. I received a final grade of D+ in MATH 384. During the second week of classes, I sustained my fourth concussion, from which I have yet to recover.

During the first two weeks of classes, I was up to date with all my work and completed the required assignments and quizzes. After the concussion, for the first week, I tried fighting through the pain (I had three concussions prior and figured the symptoms would be gone within a week), however, the pain never went away. My concentration started deteriorating, I could not remain focused in class, I had shooting headache pain all the time and I was constantly tired. These effects truly affected my performance in and out of the classroom. Thus, I decided to approach a medical professional about my condition and a week later, I was diagnosed with my fourth concussion (documents will be attached, as well I have proof of my receipts for ongoing appointments and medication if you would like to see those).

After the diagnosis, I discussed my new health situation with Professor Ping Li. At first, we felt that I would be able to stay on top of the material at the regular rate and not fall behind. However, as my symptoms began getting worse, my focus and time commitment to the course began fading. At week four, Professor Li and I decided to put on hold the bi-weekly assignment and quiz for those two weeks and extend my deadlines. On thanksgiving weekend, I went home to Montreal and I stayed and recuperated for three weeks.

At this point in time, I was enrolled in the full time five course load, and I had no intention of dropping any courses because I planned to graduate in the spring due to potential job offers upon graduation. However, since my concussion was taking longer than expected, dropping courses began being a conversation topic with my professors. Seeing as I was already passed the financial deadline to drop classes, I really did not want to risk any more financial losses due to the high spending with medical appointments because of my concussion. But, at a certain point, and after discussions, my health was more important than any financial issues. After laying out all my options to ensure I still graduate on time but also ensuring that I complete my studies successfully with high grades that I believed I could attain, dropping one of my economics courses instead made more sense (especially since it was being offered in the Winter and I was only enrolled in four courses for the Winter term).

Upon my return, I met with Professor Li again to discuss the next plan of action for the remaining of the semester and we outlined a schedule to ensure I caught up with all the material. While continuing to take three other courses, attending my daily physio and medical appointments, the constant symptoms and following along with my other commitments, I made sure to put my academics at the top of my list. I attended every class and met with Professor Li constantly even with symptoms. I continued to work through constant headaches and trouble with focus and concentration. With all the assignments, I received 100. But, the quizzes were done in class, and even though I understood the material, I found it difficult to remember all the formulas when it came to test time which shows my lack of performance. My preparation for the examination was difficult as I struggled to study for long periods of time as the exam period heightened my stress level and I found it difficult focus on my material. Once the exam came, even with my accommodations of a different room and extra time, I found that the three hours and forty-five minutes were extremely strenuous to maintain focus. I had a constant headache and a lot of trouble reading and understanding the questions. I had to get up and walk around during the test to try to alleviate the symptoms.

The impact of the headaches varied from day to day. My symptoms could be worse on a Friday night versus a Tuesday night and this can affect my performance in an exam setting. Fortunately, the most significant impact on my exam result was on the day of my Math 384 exam whereas, my other course, Stat 463, allowed me to receive a fairly solid grade of a B- (I wrote this exam on a Tuesday night with less severe symptoms). This would account for the varying in grades in the Fall semester. The toughest part about all of this is that I am a serious student with driven goals who wants to succeed. When I look at Solus and see a grade of a D+ in a course when I know, if I were healthy, I could have received an A (based on my background in the field, speaking with students who have taken the course, professors, and the Math & Stats department), it destroys my morale which is already at a low. It is a shock to me to know that a hit in the head can have such an impact on an academic life.

Hopefully, based on this letter and my situation, you can grant me the honour of a credit grade on my transcript for my D+ in my Math 384 course. I have attached documentation for my four different doctors here showing their support, conclusions, diagnosis, recovery methods and recognition of my situation. I have also spoken to Professor Ping Li and she has agreed to support my appeal. Thank you for taking the time to read my appeal and consider my situation. I would be glad to meet with you in person to talk in more detail and to show you my commitment to my studies, my recover and the Queen's community as a whole. I truly appreciate your support.

Yours truly,
Jordan Prizant