Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Dr. Johanne Bénard,
I am requesting an appeal for the following courses taken in the Winter 2018 Session.

Course Title Course Code Final Grade
Organic Chemistry CHEM 282 D-
Biochemistry BCHM 218 C+
Mammalian Physiology PHGY 214 C+

On March 9th, 2018 an incident occurred where my mother was severely injured and hence requiring multiple surgeries, which resulted in my having to abruptly leave school to attend to her care. Following the surgeries my mother was hospitalized for approx. three and a half months going into the summer of 2018. During this time, my siblings and I resided with a friend in a small apartment and where there was inadequate space for us to have all the necessities for normal living standards. We could not return to what was supposed to be our primary residence due to safety concerns. In this time I did not have the appropriate supplies and materials needed to do work nor to study. Additionally, during my mother's hospitalization I made frequent visits to see her, and to attend to her care. Following my mothers release, halfway through the summer my family moved to our new residence. This was a daunting task. It took a toll on me because it was difficult as my mom was unable to walk alone and much of the moving was up to myself and other family members.
In summary, March 2018 I was out of school for approximately 1 week about 3 weeks prior to final exam season due to my mother's hospitalization. During my absence, I also missed the second midterm for CHEM 282. As a result of my absence, my final exam was re-weighted to 65 of my final grade. The final exam for CHEM 282 course was deferred until September 2018 due to an ice storm. This course was also in the winter 2018 session. The weight of the exam in combination with dealing with family circumstances took a significant toll on me and in turn my grades suffered. Additionally, the length of the absence and its proximity to the exam in combination with the circumstances contributed to the grade achieved in BCHM 218 and PHGY 214. The events that took place had the biggest impact on these courses because of the structuring of it, for example, another course taken during the same semester, ANAT 216, did not have a final exam. Moreover, at the time of the incident there remained only one other additional assessment which I was able to write at an alternate date. Due to these accommodations I was able to receive a better grade in this course. I was also able to achieve a grade of B+ in the course MICR 221, because of the structuring of the final exam, with it being a noncumulative final exam. The grade that I achieved in BCHM 218 and in PHGY 214 will have a great impact on my overall GPA and if not removed can have a detrimental impact on my future endeavors. Providing that these grades are reconciled/removed from my transcript I will be applying to medical school in October 2019.
Currently, I am still dealing with some issues which continue to arise surrounding the situation, however I have taken the initiative to seek counselling as a means of resolving any issues that might stem from the situation that occurred. I believe that counselling will significantly assist in getting back on track and in turn putting me in a place to achieve academic success. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I hope and trust that you will find in my favor. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Kindest Regards,
Nakeisha Lodge- Tulloch