Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing this statement today to appeal my failing grade in MATH 211. I have never failed a class, or even come close to failing a class. I have taken comparably harder classes than MATH 211 during my time at Queen??s University and have done considerably better in those classes (for example STAT 269 and MATH/MTHE 225). In my most difficult and most academically challenging classes, the lowest grade that I have ever gotten is a C+. I have never studied as much for a class than I have for MATH 211. Throughout the duration of MATH 211, I have reached out several times to the instructor as my grades never reflected the amount of effort I put into the course nor my understanding of the content. I went above and beyond to keep up with the material, understand the material, and to complete the homework assignments on time. I sent emails to the instructor and attended office hours despite continuously being humiliated and being made to feel small every time I asked a question or clarification on a concept. I started studying for the final exam weeks in advance and made sure I excelled in the exams posted on the exam bank, yet somehow still failed.
After receiving my grade for the second midterm, I went to professor Kani and asked him how I could improve and if there was anything that I could do to make up for my midterm grade. He simply said no and laughed at me. Looking at the rate my professor reviews for professor Kani, I can see that this is not a one-time occurrence and has happened to several other students. I have never been made to feel so small as I did during that time, however despite that instance I continued to seek help from him (where he still did not help and offered inadequate advice). Following that instance, I reached out to Peter Taylor ?? the chair of undergraduate studies ?? where he stopped responding to my emails. I also attended the Math help centre whenever I needed clarification, however none of the TAs for MATH 211 could ever help with the content as they did not know how to solve the questions ?? Professor Kani also said during office hours that we would find that none of the TAs at the math help centre would be able to help with the course content. Regardless of the lack of help, I continued to put in the utmost effort to understand the content. I walked into the exam confident in my abilities and left feeling confident I had done well. When I received my final grade I was shocked to learn I had failed. I still do not understand how one is able to fail a class after putting in the most effort.
Being in the minority as a person of colour at Queen??s university, I feel as if I have not been offered any support by the institution. Professors such as Professor Kani have made me feel helpless and small. I truly believe that I would have succeeded in the course if I had a professor who was fair and equitable to me (for example, clarifies course content, willing to help me improve etc.). Coming to Queen??s, I anticipated the institution to challenge me academically and aid in self growth. Instead, I feel both defeated and burnt out. I have been set up for failure from the beginning of the course, and I fear that when I retake it again with Professor Kani, nothing will improve no matter how much I study for it. Not only will my GPA be affected, but my chances to get into a graduate studies program will be negatively impacted and money will be wasted when taking the class again next year.