Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Letter: Dear Board of Studies,
My appeal with the request of an extension to incomplete GPHY 370 and MUSC 171, as well as late drop FILM 340 was denied. I disagree with this decision and would like to address the reasons for it??s denial in hopes to change this verdict. The reasons given were as follows: 1. My circumstances were being actively managed during both these times (winter 2021 and summer 2021) as I sought help in January and 2. I have not participated enough in the courses and completed over 50% of the work GPHY 370 (30%) and MUSC 171 (15%).
The issue relating to my grandmother and her Dementia began in the fall of 2020 and it was not until the middle of the second semester that she was finally able to see a doctor and get a diagnosis and medication to alleviate her condition. Despite the fact she got diagnosed the episodes of aggression brought on by hallucinations did not subside as it wasn??t until the late summer of 2021 did the medication have a positive impact. I would like to add that I am the first born daughter to an immigrant family. To put it simply, it means that I take on a parental role and more within the family to make up for deficiencies brought on by my family being first generation immigrants to Canada, such as language barriers for example. So although I did attempt to leave and study in Kingston for the winter semester, I had to come home numerous times for extended periods to help my grandmother with her episodes, make food for her, take her to the doctors and much more. Even though I was able to start strong in my courses, her deteriorating condition has ups and downs and I was unable to commit sufficient time to write heavy written assignments later in the winter term, after the drop deadline in which I believed I would be able to complete all the work necessary to pass FILM 340 and complete GPHY 370, as well as the summer term where we believed she had improved in the beginning of the season. However by the time we saw the true impacts of the deterioration it was too late for me to drop the summer course and my documentation confirms the timeline.
The 30% in GPHY 370 is purely participation marks for which I received a strong grade illustrating my continued and dedicated participation throughout the course. The 15% for MUSC 171 is a result of three tests for which I also received excellent grades showing my dedicated participation throughout the semester. Also both these courses only have 2-3 written assignments that account for a high percentage (70% and 85%) of the course, which I was unable to complete due to the reasons described. This highlights that I did actively participate in my courses and my strong desire to complete them. Also since I have submitted my original appeal, I have taken the steps to completing over 50% of the workload in both courses.
I would like to emphasize that these are the last two courses that I need to graduate. I have taken steps to ensure that I will be able to succeed this semester in Kingston such as hiring a personal support worker for my grandmother for the winter semester while I am away so that I can focus on my studies, an expense that I am paying for out of pocket, that I can only afford for the current semester. Having these additional courses just gives me the extra motivation I need to finish my degree within this semester. Once the semester is over, I return home and if my degree is not complete, I will be back in the same circumstances facing the same difficulties with finishing my courses.
I did and still am doing my best to succeed despite conditions I was put in that are out of my control and kindly ask that the denials in my appeal be revoked so that I can move onward with my life, graduate and dedicate my time to helping my grandmother as she approaches the end of her life.
Kindly,
Harini Thirimadura Wijeratne