Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,

My name is Katherine Radzichovski, and I am a Concurrent Education student hoping to obtain teachables for English and French. I am appealing to obtain an Aegrotat standing in ENGL 200 (fall-winter 2021).

For the years 2020-2021, I underwent several unforeseeable personal and health-related events. However, for this class, in particular, I could not complete the winter term essay worth 20 percent of the final grade. Today, my transcript was updated stating I received a final passing grade of a D. Up until my health condition, I have passed all other tests, quizzes, and other assignments, which means I passed over 60 percent of the course work, but due to my illness I was unable to complete the essay. Although I prefer not to outline each symptom I am currently experiencing as it is personal, I can outline the general aspects of my current health condition that I am comfortable with sharing.

On December 24th, 2020, I underwent a procedure that I thought would help with minor symptoms I dealt with in the Summer-Fall term. Also, I received an antibiotic prescription for an infection I received in January 2021, likely due to the procedure, but I was not aware that they correlate until I spoke to a doctor. However, towards the beginning of March, I started experiencing migraines, abdominal pain, nausea, and water retention, all of which lead to sleep deprivation due to the pain I was experiencing and my inability to complete most of my classwork on time.

On March 19th, I submitted a form without documentation and emailed the ENGL 200 professor, Leslie Ritchie, to ask when she would like my essay. She stated that the final revised due date for all students was March 18th. Following, I waited until my at-risk family member received their vaccine before visiting the doctor's clinic to obtain a note. On March 31st at 3:45 PM, I emailed the professor a Personal Health Condition form approved by Arts and Science, followed by a doctor's note stating that I have been experiencing an ongoing health condition that has hindered my ability to attend classes and complete assignments. The professor replied on April 9th, stating that I am no longer able to submit the essay as it is two weeks past the syllabus deadline to submit the assignment from the revised date of March 18th. However, had the professor replied to the email I sent on March 31st, I would have been able to submit partial work for this essay by April 1st with the late penalties. This class was affected over the others because the professors for my other classes gave me rescheduled tests or extra time for assignments. I did not drop the class earlier because I did not know that these symptoms would persist. Also, my doctor told me to wait a month or two before reversing the procedure because symptoms usually relieve after the first six months; however, mine did not.

I spoke to an Academic Support Officer on May 4th about this situation, who advised me to reach out to the English Head of the Department. When I reached out to Dr. McKegney, he stated that he understands my health condition, but the only option I have is to late withdrawal the class. At the time, I was unsure whether I passed the final examination. He mentioned that he spoke to you about my late withdrawal from this class and said that the late withdrawal would likely be granted based on my circumstances. However, since I passed the class and the final exam, I believe that an Aegrotat standing is my best option because I completed and passed all of the course content other than the one essay I was unable to submit.

In three weeks, I am scheduled to reverse the procedure and opt for a different option that might suit me, which should relieve my symptoms. Also, I am scheduling a blood panel at a hospital to rule out whether I could be receiving symptoms due to an underlying health condition. These factors should support my academic goals by relieving my ongoing health condition. Moreover, since I am experiencing more difficulties in English than my other classes, I am applying to receive a major in Literature Languages and Culture. Lastly, I am currently taking classes in the summer to raise my GPA and help my chances of receiving my teachable for English. Should you grant this Aegrotat standing, I will be on track to complete my teachable in English and help with my future ambitions such as graduate school.

Thank you for your consideration,

Katherine Radzichovski
20165887