Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: On Thursday March 3rd, 2022, I tested positive for COVID-19 on a rapid test. I had been testing myself every day in the morning and night after my roommate tested positive the day before on Wednesday, March 2nd. Since I had no symptoms and was receiving a negative test result on my rapid tests, I continued to monitor myself for symptoms and proceeded with my academic responsibilities. On Thursday morning, I tested negative on my rapid test, so I spent the day studying for my CISC 324 Midterm exam that would be the next day, Friday March 4th. This midterm would be one of two midterms each weighing 15% that would account for 30% of my final grade. Thursday evening, I tested myself with a rapid test and received a positive result. I immediately submitted a request for extenuating circumstances and emailed my professor, notifying him that I will miss the exam. My rapid test result came as an unfortunate surprise, and I was worried that I could be penalized for missing my exam. I assumed that after my isolation period, I would be able reschedule a make-up exam with my professor, just like how my assignments in other courses would be extended. On Monday March 7th, my professor responded to my email with a short message: I will shift the weight of Quiz 1 to the Final Exam.

Our class has completed 7% of the course assessments so far: two labs each worth 3%, and one assignment worth 1%. There are still three more labs, two more assignments, a second midterm, and a final exam left in the course. Shifting the weight of the first midterm to my final exam would result in a 65% final. With 93% of the course still incomplete, I was not prepared to have a heavily weighted final exam. By Monday March 7th, the drop-date deadline had already passed. If I had known at the beginning of last week that I would get COVID-19 and it would result in missing my exam, and that my exam weight would be allocated to my final, I would have immediately dropped the course. As I experienced an unforeseeable illness, there was no way for me to have better planned for these circumstances, and no way of knowing I would need to drop the course. In realizing that most of my entire grade will be determined by the assessments in the final month of the semester, I have undergone an extreme amount of stress and anxiety. This syllabus change is a significant detriment to my success in this course, and I should not receive it as result of a health condition I could not foresee. After consulting with an advisor for Arts & Science Considerations, I realized the best decision for my academic performance would be to appeal for a late-drop of the course. In accordance with my extenuating circumstances, I hope you can understand the implication this situation has on my academic success.