Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing for a late drop of PSYC 204, a course of action recommended by the professor, Meghan Norris.

This winter term, I had an eviction date of April 30th to meet. This was logistically, a near impossible situation for me to contend with alone ¿¿ I required assistance, which I did not receive until April 29th. (Please refer to my medical documentation for details.)

With so much to do for the eviction, I asked Bonney Hunt to negotiate with the professor for accommodation appropriate to my disabilities and life circumstances. This was unsuccessful.

I fought to stay in the course because I needed something beyond just the eviction in my life. It is disheartening, if not discriminatory, to have to give everything up because I am limited in what I am physically able to do and not be capable of meeting the demands of the eviction. The course would have been academically manageable for me, if I had been given enough flexibility to deal with the physical and emotional demands of leaving a property I had lived in for three decades. I did not sign my new lease until March 17th. At this point, I could have completed a project that was worth 30 and subsequently, written the final exam. But with the course now becoming a major source of negativity (amidst even greater negativity), I gave up and agreed to appeal for a late drop.

As identified in my previous documentation, I am an academic at heart and when accommodated, I have been able to demonstrate my academic abilities. This was evidenced in the PSYC 204 course with a midterm mark of 90. It would have been possible for me to have completed 85 of the course by the end of term and it is almost a certainty that I could have completed 100 of the course, if an extension had been allowed. I believe that encouraging me to give up when I am academically capable is neither helpful nor healthy. As stated above, the course was a welcome relief to the significant distress in other areas of my life.

I also had to finish EMPR 200 this year, an appeal decision granted by the Arts and Science office. I contacted the professor about my situation and indicated that I would have to complete the course in early to mid May; of course, if I am unable to find a new apartment for the end of term, this would not be happening.

I wrote the final exam for EMPR 200 on May 15th and was able to finish the course. Had I been accommodated, I could also have managed PSYC 204 in spite of still dealing with a move that went into the first week of May, where almost all of my belongings were still in boxes and I had not even begun to settle into my new apartment.