Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Bénard,


My name is Austin Ward, Student ID 10129444 and I am requesting to waive the 21-day or one term deadline.
The reason I did not appeal in 2016 was that up until recently I was unaware that I was required to have both a CGPA and a PGPA of 1.6 or higher to graduate and at the time I was simply relieved to have passed all my courses.
In January of 2016 at the age of 49, my father with no outward signs or symptoms was diagnosed with prostate cancer; this deadly disease took a heavy toll on all of us. I did my very best to focus during exams, but unfortunately my marks suffered as a result of this news.


The winter 2016 term is remembered as a blur of trips up and down Highway 401. Due to my father's condition, I was needed at home most weekends to help care for him and our household. I became the primary errand runner for our family, getting groceries, looking after the animals, taking my father to appointments, picking up medications, etc. This time away from my academics took its toll. Despite hiring a tutor to assist me, I struggled to pass my course load. Although my body would leave Lunenburg, my heart and mind were almost constantly back home. Focusing on academics often felt trivial compared to the life and death world at home. I did my very best to apply myself; suffering many sleepless nights. However, I just could not get the core academic concepts to stick.


Today, I am happy to report that my father is cancer free and healthy. I wish only to put this difficult time behind me; unfortunately my current situation requires me to revisit. I presently sit with a PGPA of 1.592 and am asking that you please consider allowing me to appeal my grades during this difficult academic and personal time, so that I may graduate and follow in my father's professional footsteps.

Thank you for your time and consideration,


Austin Ward
10129444