Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Appeal Letter
Dear Associate Dean,

I appeal for the late deduction decision for Project Assignment for COMM211, which enrolled in winter 2020. I am a third-year Arts and Science student pursuing my Bachelor of Arts Honors (BAH) degree in Applied Economics (APEC). This year is a challenging year for everyone, and it is also the most difficult year of my life.

I have suffered from domestic abuse for a long time. Before the winter and fall semesters began, I stayed at home. The mental and physical abuse are a nightmare for me. I was so scared, and I don't know how to fight back. And the last time I can't bear it anymore, and I called the police. To keep me safe, police take away, give a no-contact restriction, and lay charges to who should be responsible for that. During that time, I thought that is the end.

However, I felt I had physical pain in my back and a sleep disorder for the whole of August. I lost 15kg for only one month. To begin with, I did not know I have an illness. But later, I feel I can't move, can't focus, can't control my consciousness, and dying. My friends took me to the clinic, and Dr. Ali diagnosed me with Post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD). He gave me the medicine to treat my illness, and he referred me to the phycologist Dr. Houyuan Luo for treatment. Dr. Houyuan Luo also diagnosed me with PTSD and dissociation, and he keeps giving me cognitive behaviour therapy treatment weekly to withhold my symptom.

Because of the illness, and I lay on my bed every day. Luckily, with Accessibility Service Advisor Caroline Teske's help, I was able to submit the assignment with extra time. The accommodation helped me deal with my focus problem and lagged workload.

For the COMM211, everything was going on well except my Project Assignment. This project is worth 20 of my total score. We have this project assignment due on April 1. Based on my accommodation, my Professor let me hand it in on April 9. Unfortunately, since the end of March, I have been injured my hands. The cast on my hand impeded my typing and writing. The doctor advised me to give up my current study and cooperate with the treatment. I was only allowed to start looking at the computer on the weekend. Until May 4, I got fully recovered.


When I was injured, I contacted my Professor and explained the situation. And Professor Erin Webster approved my submission for April 19, based on the expected recovery date of April 19 from doctor note 1. However, on April 19, I was still in a bad condition, and I have been receiving the treatment in the hospital. And I spent a whole night in the hospital. I was unable to submit my project as precisely as Professor Wester set since I was under treatment.

At first, I wanted to send an email to my professor the next day to discuss a little later. However considering not to bother her too much, I pushed myself to finish it and I submitted it for the first time when I got back home, which is April 20, 9:59 am in the following day morning. And I emailed the Professor to confirm my submission and explained I was still in a bad medical condition, which caused an extenuating situation for me to make the 10 hours late. The Professor expressed understanding and told me to have a better rest. Moreover, she did not mention that there would be a deduction after the deadline, nor did she explain it on the syllabus. I got 93.7 feedback from my Professor on my project assignment on April 25 without penalty. I thought this is the end of the term.

I tried my best to fulfill the academic requirement under such a bad condition. And after my submission, I immediately return to the hospital for treatment. I want my professor be more flexible. I talked to my doctor, and the medical authority gave me to doctor's note 2 to show I was still in bad condition even after April 19 till the end of April.

On April 30, when my Professor submitted the final grads, she laid a 10 (2 of total scores) late penalty on my project assignment. I tried to communicate with her. However, it seems like my Professor has an attitude, and she is unwilling to help me change it. I turned to the Arts and Science Consideration team to look for the extenuating circumstances. They suggested I do an appeal because the date I applied is already past due.

Now my final grade is 89(A). Without the late penalty, I will get a 91(A+). From the end of March till the beginning of May, I have been suffering injury and illness combined with my disability. It is very hard for me to stick to come over. Now I just want to be like a normal person, to have a fair sense of the results of my hard work.

Would it be possible for the office to help me remove the deduction from my project assignment I have attached the two doctor notes for your reference. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

I hope you will understand my extenuating circumstance and approve my appeal. Thank you very much

Best,

Zheng Li
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