Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom This May Concern:

My name is Leah Adaniel, and I am Non-Degree Continuing Education student with the Faculty of Arts and Science Online. I am contacting you to request that the two courses I took this semester, ENGL 200 (6.0) and WRIT 225 (3.0), are dropped due to extenuating health issues.

I started experiencing symptoms of my physical illness at the end of December after having COVID during the Christmas break (started December 27, 2021). I struggled throughout the semester to keep up with my schoolwork and full-time job because of my illness ?? for example, I experienced severe fatigue and muscle tremors that made it difficult to sit for long periods of time, mentally focus on one task for an extended period, and at times, typing and writing were challenging. When I went to hand in a very late assignment part way through the semester for my WRIT 225 course, the instructor suggested I apply for academic consideration for my extenuating circumstances. I applied on March 4, 2022, and I was granted consideration on March 10, 2022. After this time, I tried to work to meet the new deadline given to me for my ENGL 200 course, and to submit my overdue work for the WRIT 225 course.

I did experience some improvements in health after consulting with my doctor, seeing a specialist, and starting a treatment plan ?? I first started to see my doctor at the end of January (she was the one who filled out the supporting document for my academic consideration application), and then by mid-March, I was seeing the specialist. He predicted that it would take several months for my health to fully return to normal, but in the meantime, that there would be incremental improvements.

Unfortunately, even with the improvements, certain symptoms persisted, like the fatigue, that still made it difficult to focus and complete my work. I also needed more sleep than usual to get better, so I was not able to cut down on sleep to make up for lost time, like I could do earlier in my academic career. Most importantly though, I had already fallen far behind by mid-March, and I unfortunately could not catch up on the volume of work I had missed. The one assignment that I did successfully complete during the time after I was granted consideration was the Module 4 assignment for the WRIT 225 course; it was a group project, so I neglected a lot of my other work to complete my part because didn't want my issues to negatively affect the other group members.

Overall, my physical illness presented an obstacle this semester, and as a result, I was not able to meet the academic requirements. I still have missed/outstanding work in both courses: two written assignments in WRIT 225 from Modules 2 & 3, one essay assignment in ENGL 200, and one discussion board engagement assignment in ENGL 200. I did not perform to my highest level in either course, which I believe will be reflected in my final grades. Therefore, I am appealing to you to ask that the courses be dropped from my academic record, so not to negatively influence my GPA or future opportunities to pursue additional education.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Please let me know if you require any additional information from me.

Kind regards,
Leah Adaniel