Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Arts and Science Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to request an extension of an incomplete grade for HIST400-01 taken in Fall of 2017. I am appealing the original deadline of my incomplete as I faced extenuating in Winter 2018. I strongly believe that this was beyond my control. I also believe that there were procedural irregularities which may have impacted my need to appeal this course. I have received a statement of support from Dr. Adelman for this appeal. I have also since been told that my course work has been graded.

In Winter 2018, I faced academic challenges which were related personal circumstances beyond my control. The personal circumstances had some debilitating effects, such as not being able to complete coursework in a timely manner, anxiety and depression. More specifically, an event in my personal life compelled me to deal with a past sexual abuse incident. I began to disclose what occurred to me as a child to my Dr. Billing, who is my Physician at Student Wellness Services. In February 2018, I was then referred to Anna, a counsellor at Queen¿¿s Counselling Services. From that time, I have continued to see a counsellor on a Tri-weekly basis in the school year weekly basis in the summer. I found that these supports assisted me tremendously in dealing with my past trauma.

Procedural Irregularities¿¿ Hist400

Grading Scheme
The following was the grading scheme for the course (as Outlined in the HIST400 Syllabus):
Attendance 9x5 45¿
Engagement 10¿
3 four page papers @ 15 45

Timeline

On 1 January 2018, I submitted my first paper in the course, and requested an extension to submit the remaining two papers. My initial extension was approved and Dr. Adelman submitted a IN grade for me in the class. This request was approved by both Dr. Adelman and the History Department. Dr. Adelman had extended the deadline until 1 February 2018. I emailed Dr. Adelman stating that I am experiencing personal challenges and that I need another day to submit the paper. In response, Dr. Adelman told me that he has not seen me in class lately (I was not taking any classes with him in the Winter Semester). ¿

By 2 February 2018, the following work was completed:

¿¿ Attendance of 90 of Seminars
¿¿ Engagement Component Completed
¿¿ 2 Four Page Papers

As stated above, 85 of the HIST400 Course Work was completed by February 2nd, 2018. I then emailed Dr. Adelman to state that I had completed the second paper. However, I did not hear a response back. I also did not receive feedback for any of the already submitted coursework and assignments. I followed up with Dr. Adelman in April 2018 to inquire if I still had time to submit my assignment (as I was aware the Grade would automatically be changed to an F). Once again, I did not hear a response. I did not feel comfortable readdressing the issue as he did not seem to remember who I was. As I did submit 85 of the coursework, I also presumed that the already submitted work would have been counted towards my final grade. In July 2018, I noticed that my grade had automatically converted to an F. I began to address the issue with the Faculty of Arts and Science and Dr. Adelman.


Next Steps and Concluding Thoughts

I feel that my appeal has resulted from two factors. First, I faced serious mental and physical challenges throughout Winter 2018. This took time to resolve as I had to seek out a variety of resources in order to resolve the issue. For instance, I after February, I began seeing a Counsellor at SWS on a regular basis. I believe there were serious procedural irregularities with the way which my situation was handled. As someone who has a disability, I recognize that there can be challenges accommodating for me as I may need more attention than other students in the Professors class. However, I am disappointed that additional support was not provided for me. Following this experience, I have felt less open to telling my professors about my academic needs because I feel that I will be met with indifference, not being acknowledged and forgotten. To this date, I have not received any feedback for my assignments or performance in the course. In retrospect, I would have wanted to meet with Dr. Adelman in person to speak about the issue. Though my disability sometimes prevents me from seeking support, I have been encouraged to practice constant and consistent communication going forward. As my transcript also reflects, I have not encountered such issues in my Winter 2018 course or Summer 2018 courses.