Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,

My name is Tessa Fitzgerald, and I am a third-year politics student. I am writing to appeal my grade for POLS 310, to obtain a CR. The mark I received for this class was highly out of character for me. This is because of the unfortunate circumstances I was faced with at the time. I had three exams scheduled in 24 hours, POLS 310 being the last (On December 10th). Moreover, at the end of November I went home to see my family, when I was informed my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and was scheduled to undergo a serious operation on December 12th. This diagnosis was very unexpected, and as such was a huge shock to me and my family. The operation was two days after my POLS 310 exam, and as such it affected my performance as I was under a great deal of stress and exhaustion, in addition to having to write three exams in a very short time (24 hrs). I had a very hard time sleeping and eating, which contributed to my stress. Additionally, the POLS 310 exam was worth 50, and as such the circumstances I was under at that time had a large impact on my final grade. I am appealing only this grade because one of my other exams was a week after the operation, and one of my classes did not have an exam. The remaining two I wrote prior to 310 were affected as well, but were not worth as much so poor performance on the exams did not result in a grade lower than C (though they were lower than normal). The events at this time happened very quickly and unexpectedly, so there was not much I could do to help mitigate the situation beforehand. Should, this CR be granted, I now understand this is the reality of my family life, and if I am faced with another situation such as this I am much more equipped to handle it without putting such a large strain on my studies. I am prepared to see a guidance counselor or therapist to help me deal with this situation should it get worse. I thank you very much for taking the time to consider my appeal, and I will provide supporting documentation for my claim.
Best regards,
Tessa Fitzgerald-10148962