Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Atkinson,

WHAT AM I APPEALING

As per our conversation, on April 12, 2018, I am appealing:
SUMMARY:
1) To write the Bio 103 exam in September to gain the credit;
2) To be granted entrance to the Biology Major program or to be provided another mechanism to register for 2nd year courses;
3) To receive Aegrotat standing in Chem 112;
4) To drop Math 121 and remove it from my transcript;
5) To receive a full refund for Math 121;
6) To write the Health 101 exam in the summer to gain the credit; and
7) To be reimbursed the 50 payment to appeal to have Queen's accommodate my recent serious illness

DETAILS:
A. BIO 103
- I completed all of the coursework and labs with approximately a B+ average. I was unable to write the exam.
- Since I was only assessed for less than 60 of the course before I became ill, the professor, Rob Snetsinger, has agreed that I have permission to write the exam in September.
- Because I have not completed the first year course, I am not able to register in BIO for my major which means I cannot sign up for 2nd year courses.

WHAT AM I APPEALING: 1) To write the Bio 103 exam in September to gain the credit
2) To be granted entrance to the Biology Major program or to be provided another mechanism to register for 2nd year courses

B. CHEM 112
- I completed all of the coursework and labs with approximately a B+ average. I was unable to write the exam.
- Since I was assessed for more than 60 of the course before I became ill, the professor, Michael Mombourquette, agreed that I can appeal for Aegrotat standing.

WHAT AM I APPEALING: 3) For Aegrotat standing in Chem 112

C. MATH 121
- When I became ill in February, I reached out to all my professors to seek accommodations. As documented, neither myself nor the Academics Accommodations officers heard back from anyone associated with Math 121 until April 16, days before my surgery and after the coursework was completed. I understand that there were some challenges within the department, making it difficult for Dr. Ableson to get back to me.
- In order to set me up for success for my second year, I feel that it is best to drop this course. I am requesting a refund because I am certain that I could have been successful in the course if I had been able to engage with the instructors as soon as I became ill.

WHAT AM I APPEALING: 4) To drop Math 121 and remove it from my transcript; and 5) To receive a full refund.

D. HLTH 101
- I completed all of the coursework with approximately a B+ average. I was unable to write the exam.
- The professor, Jennifer Wiggleworth, has advised that I may write the exam this summer.

WHAT AM I APPEALING: 6) To write the Health 101 exam in the summer to gain the credit.

E. APPEAL FEE
- My unfortunate and untimely illness was completely out of my control. In spite of being very sick, I did everything that I could to work with Queen's to resolve the issues of my coursework and inability to write my exams due to surgery. I requested that Queens decide on an approach before I underwent surgery in order to avoid a lengthy Appeal Process and this approach was rejected.

WHAT AM I APPEALING: 7) The payment of 50 to appeal to have Queens accommodate my recent serious illness. (I hope that this does not seem grumpy...but I am already so far behind in my summer earnings and school work due to my illness that paying for this appeal seems like unnecessarily punitive.)

Extenuating Circumstances
I became ill on February 21, 2018. Although I returned to school for a few days sporadically during the last 6 weeks of the semester, I was rarely well enough to attend lectures or labs and I returned home permanently in mid-March. During my illness, I suffered nausea, severe infections, and extreme exhaustion. I was hospitalized multiple times because of dehydration. Although no diagnosis was ever confirmed, one of the symptoms of my illness was extreme tonsillitis and I underwent surgery on April 19. My recovery has been quite slow. For the most part, I have resumed normal activities as of the end of June, and look forward to returning to 2nd year in full health.

Future Plan
If my requests are granted, I plan to complete the remaining exams in September. I will enroll in 2nd year studies as a Bio Major and resume studies full time. I will enroll in Math 121 in summer 2019.