Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: At the beginning of my Summer 2020 semester, my grandfather passed away from COVID-19 unexpectedly. This itself caused a lack of ability to perform academically, however on top of that, as this event happened in a global pandemic, seeking help and closure was not an option. We were unable to visit him in the hospital, nor were we able to see him after his passing. As a student taking three online courses, I have truly struggled to make time for my courses, in particular, the BCHM218 course which is an extremely demanding and challenging course in normal circumstances. As this death was unexpected, it resulted in my family and I putting a lot of time and energy into funeral arrangements, selling his house, moving all of his belongings to donation centres and storage units, etc. This caused my family and I a great deal of emotional stress. As I have really struggled mentally from this event, my grade in this course took a serious fall, particularly on the midterm exam but also in the weekly quizzes, as I wasn't able to stay on top of my weekly readings. I plan on completing the course, as I need the credit to graduate, however, the grade I will likely receive will negatively affect my GPA. I am hoping I will be able to provide more effort to the course now that we have sold his house and completed the move out process, but I am hoping that a credit standing will allow my grades to not suffer from the consequences of not being able to do put in the necessary efforts earlier. Thank you for your time and understanding in this unprecedented time.