Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing for permission to complete EMPR 200, as I was not able to finish the incomplete coursework by the end of the summer term.

I had every intention to complete EMPR 200 over the summer but there were extenuating circumstances that prevented this from occurring.

The primary extenuating circumstance, as has been the case for over the past two years, was my financial/employment situation. I have had no income for the past year (and minimal income for the year prior) and so, finding work had to be my top priority this summer. However, the very nature of the job search itself clashed with my academic work. Looking for work was, of course, time-consuming, particularly the extensive preparation required for the different levels of interviewing. The most problematic aspect though was the unpredictability - it was virtually impossible to schedule time for the coursework (such as writing the exam) when my schedule would so quickly turn on a dime. (The best example of this was temporary work, where there was so much uncertainty as to the duration of the work itself.)

Despite this unpredictability and uncertainty, I felt it was reasonable to assume that once I had steady work/schedule, it would be a fairly simple matter to allocate time for my academic work. Unfortunately, the difficulties with my financial/employment situation escalated and by the middle of the summer, I had to apply/take work that was counter to my health needs. As noted in my medical documentation, having to accept precarious employment had a detrimental impact upon my health. However, as it was a choice between homelessness and health, I had no choice but to accept less than favourable conditions in the workplace.

My other extenuating circumstance was the death of my mother (near the end of February) and the ensuing family issues that came thereafter. This has been a continuing source of stress ever since and I simply cannot explain more beyond that.

In addition to my incomplete coursework for EMPR 200, I also had a deferred exam for EMPR 220 to write over the summer. As mentioned above, my difficult and uncertain employment situation created problems with just scheduling the exam. (I had e-mail correspondence with the professor and the Faculty of Arts & Science regarding this near the end of the summer.) Also, since EMPR 220 was a deferred exam from the fall term, I had to prioritize its completion over EMPR 200.

These extenuating circumstances did extend into the fall term. Partway through the fall term, I was able to stabilize some of these extenuating circumstances and since then, I have been able to complete all of the term's course requirements (minus the final exams) for my current courses.

I ask now to be able to do the same for EMPR 200. I am amenable to any deadlines stipulated by Professor Hickey regarding the completion of the outstanding coursework during the winter term.