Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Letter: Members of the Board of Studies,

I am appealing the Associate Dean??s decision to deny my appeal to add CHEM 112 after the academic deadline. I believe that the Associate Dean did not understand the difficulties I had with the implementation of my accommodations or that I am now fully caught up and excelling in my classes. I am now unable to be enrolled in a course that I am interested in, despite being fully able handle the workload and commitment needed for this course. The Academic Consideration Team, who is supposed to promote access to education for students with exceptional circumstances has actually proven to be a barrier in stopping me from reaching my academic goals.

I was granted ??severe or serious academic accommodations? from September 28 to November 9, 2021, as I required major surgery. However, these accommodations were not provided by several of my classes. I was advised by the academic advisor for kinesiology students to drop two courses. She told me that I would have the option to rejoin classes when I was medically and academically ready to do so or that I could make them up next year or in the summer. Since November 4th I have been medically and academically ready to rejoin CHEM 112, but I have been denied this opportunity. I would like to be re-enrolled in CHEM 112 with a deferral of the mid-term exam as I have not been able to access the course content on OnQ or participate in the labs.

July 13, 2021 - I spoke with Vanessa McCourt who is the academic advisor for kinesiology students. She recommended that I submit for academic accommodations once the fall term started.

September 7, 2021 - I submitted the form for academic accommodations. The initial accommodations were insufficient due to a misunderstanding about the recovery time required. I submitted further documentation and received revised accommodations on September 14, 2021. The Academic Consideration Team approved ??mild accommodations? on September 24, 2021 and ??severe accommodations? from September 28 to November 9, 2021. Severe accommodations are defined as ??unable to perform all or most academic obligations.?

September 28, 2021 ?? My 7.5 hour surgery was performed. I stayed in the ICU for 1 day, an observation unit for 1 day and spent a total of 7 days in hospital. My post-operative course was complicated by blood loss requiring a blood transfusion, fluid in my lungs, and severe pain despite large amounts of narcotics and other medications.

October 20, 2021 - I spoke with Vanessa McCourt where we discussed the lack of accommodations my classes were willing to provide and explored possible options for making up the dropped courses.

November 4, 2021 - I met with Sarah Bunting and was informed that educators (as described in the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy) were required to implement the accommodations. Specifically, BIOL 102 and PSYC 100 refused to allow me to make up missed quizzes and labs, instead they gave me zeroes. She said that she would follow up with my courses that did not provide accommodations beyond those of the universal design. She also reassured me that I would be able to rejoin chemistry if I was interested.

November 9, 2021 ?? If followed up via emailed with Sarah Bunting about re-joining CHEM 112 as soon as possible.

November 10, 2021 ?? I was notified that the Academic Consideration Team was unable to re-enroll me in CHEM 112.

November 15, 2021 ?? I was told by Sarah Bunting that I had to submit an appeal via the Academic Appeals portal.

November 17, 2021 - I submitted my appeal (Appeal Number 8337).

November 23, 2021 - My appeal to rejoin CHEM 112 was denied. The rationale was ??I am not convinced that adding this course late is a good academic decision as you work towards getting your health back on track.? Dr. Jill Atkinson did not email or speak to me to assess my progress, she failed to understand that my previous health concerns no longer has any impact on my current academic abilities. She does not mention the University??s lack of compliance with the accommodations that were previously granted. She notes the missed quizzes and labs which would have to be made up but does offer any suggestions as to how these requirements could be met. She concludes that rejoining CHEM 112 ??would not be in my best interest,? again without communicating with me about my current health status or academic priorities and goals. I have completely caught up on the work of the three courses I am currently enrolled in. I have also been providing some of my floor mates with academic assistance with their CHEM 112 work, without having attended the lectures or having access to the course content.

As soon as I can access OnQ for CHEM 112, I will start catching up on the work that I have missed during this time. Since I do not currently have a heavy course load I plan to spend 4-6 hours each day to catch up on the work I have missed. I would expect to write the CHEM 112 mid-term examination during the make-up exam period in January 2022 and be fully caught up at the start of the winter term.

I request that I would have access to a specified teaching assistant for academic issues should the need arise. I would prefer to perform the CHEM 112 labs in a modified fashion but if this is too onerous on the Chemistry Department, I could attend the CHEM 112 lab camp at the end of August 2022 so that I could fulfill this component of the course. With the above accommodations I could complete the second half of CHEM 112 without requiring any further accommodations.


I thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Kaitlin Fortier
Student Number 20287663