Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,

I am writing this letter in the hopes of extending the 21-day deadline for an appeal on my final grade. I have been consistently emailing the professor of this course for over two months, as she did not realize I submitted one of my final assignments, and didn't grade it as a result. I had an A+ throughout the course, but because my professor did not grade my final assignments, my current grade is a C+. I was hoping that this could be resolved informally with the professor as she assured me she would grade my missing paper, but alas she has not responded to my last several emails.

The reason I am requesting an extension is due to extenuating circumstances that prevented me from using my computer sooner. Since the start of April, I contracted a serious health condition where I am at risk of losing my vision. Unfortunately, I live in Kingston, but the specialist I am seeing is in Toronto: during the 21 days after the end of the course, I had to go back to Toronto every single week, and then come back to Kingston for my other responsibilities. I also had to take an eye drop every single hour during the first week, and every two hours after that. Before this experience, I had an intense fear of eye drops. It was a very hectic time, and I was stressed about losing my vision, so I did not have the energy or time to look into an appeal. Because of the medications I have to take, my eyes are very irritated all the time, and I try not to look at my computer screen more than I have to. This was especially bad during April and June. Since the professor had assured me they would grade my paper, I did not submit an appeal because I did not want to unnecessarily use my computer and hurt my eyes. However, it's been a while since I've heard back from my professor, and I am too stressed about my final grade to continue waiting.

Thank you,

Mindy