Petition Letter
Petition to the Associate Dean
Hello, I hope you are doing well and enjoyed your summer. My name is Jacqueline Mustard and I just completed my second year of studies in Psychology (Arts) (honours). In addition to my major, I am also completing a Certificate in Business.
As you may know, the Certificate in Business consists of 6 classes. Two of those classes (at the 200 level) are counted as electives towards my major while the other 4 classes (at the 600 level), do not count towards my major. These 4 classes (at the 600 level) are taken as extra classes on top of my Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) major requirements. It is important to understand that whether a particular class is coded as a 200-level class or a 600-level class, the class will be the EXACT SAME (same name, same content, same grading, same syllabus, same teachers) and is recognized as being completely interchangeable by the Certificate in Business department. The only difference is the course number.
As you know, a major in Psychology (Arts) requires 3 psychology units at the 200 level (or above) or 3 units from the list of substitution classes accepted by the Department (known as “PSYC Subs B”). In the PSYC Subs B list of substitutions, a student is permitted to take COMM 251 (organizational behaviour) as a PSYC Subs B. COMM 651 (organizational behaviour) is not included in the PSYC Subs B list even though it is the exact same course as COMM 251 (as explained above).
Last year, I took two business certificate classes at the 200 level (i.e., 2 of my business certificate classes have already been counted as electives). This past summer I took Organizational Behavior as a 600-level business certificate class COMM 651 (in addition to the 5 classes I took each semester last year) because I had already taken the required two 200-level classes.
After speaking with Anja Wilke, Academic Advisor and Assistant to the Undergraduate Chair, I |understand that COMM 651 is not presently on the PSYC Subs B list. However, I ask that you kindly consider that this must be due to an inadvertent oversight made at the time the PSYC Subs B list was created and should not reflect the Department’s position that COMM 651 is a different course than COMM 251, when, with complete certainty, they are the same course.
Thus, I am asking that the COMM 651 course I completed this past summer be counted towards my major as a PSYC Subs B. As stated previously, COMM 251 (listed as a PSYC Subs B) and COMM 651 are the exact same class (a fact recognized by the business certificate program), therefore and on this same basis, it is reasonable to request that the Psychology Department apply the same standard and permit me to apply my COMM 651 credits as a PSYC Subs B.
The impact of granting me this appeal would be enormous. By allowing me to count my COMM 651 credits towards both my business certificate and my PSYC Subs B major requirement, I would be able to take the standard 5 classes this semester rather than 6, likely resulting in much better academic performance. Furthermore, it is difficult to find a 6th class after the close of the enrollment period.
I look forward to receiving your response to my appeal. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need any additional information. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely, Jacqueline (20367377)
Hello, I hope you are doing well and enjoyed your summer. My name is Jacqueline Mustard and I just completed my second year of studies in Psychology (Arts) (honours). In addition to my major, I am also completing a Certificate in Business.
As you may know, the Certificate in Business consists of 6 classes. Two of those classes (at the 200 level) are counted as electives towards my major while the other 4 classes (at the 600 level), do not count towards my major. These 4 classes (at the 600 level) are taken as extra classes on top of my Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) major requirements. It is important to understand that whether a particular class is coded as a 200-level class or a 600-level class, the class will be the EXACT SAME (same name, same content, same grading, same syllabus, same teachers) and is recognized as being completely interchangeable by the Certificate in Business department. The only difference is the course number.
As you know, a major in Psychology (Arts) requires 3 psychology units at the 200 level (or above) or 3 units from the list of substitution classes accepted by the Department (known as “PSYC Subs B”). In the PSYC Subs B list of substitutions, a student is permitted to take COMM 251 (organizational behaviour) as a PSYC Subs B. COMM 651 (organizational behaviour) is not included in the PSYC Subs B list even though it is the exact same course as COMM 251 (as explained above).
Last year, I took two business certificate classes at the 200 level (i.e., 2 of my business certificate classes have already been counted as electives). This past summer I took Organizational Behavior as a 600-level business certificate class COMM 651 (in addition to the 5 classes I took each semester last year) because I had already taken the required two 200-level classes.
After speaking with Anja Wilke, Academic Advisor and Assistant to the Undergraduate Chair, I |understand that COMM 651 is not presently on the PSYC Subs B list. However, I ask that you kindly consider that this must be due to an inadvertent oversight made at the time the PSYC Subs B list was created and should not reflect the Department’s position that COMM 651 is a different course than COMM 251, when, with complete certainty, they are the same course.
Thus, I am asking that the COMM 651 course I completed this past summer be counted towards my major as a PSYC Subs B. As stated previously, COMM 251 (listed as a PSYC Subs B) and COMM 651 are the exact same class (a fact recognized by the business certificate program), therefore and on this same basis, it is reasonable to request that the Psychology Department apply the same standard and permit me to apply my COMM 651 credits as a PSYC Subs B.
The impact of granting me this appeal would be enormous. By allowing me to count my COMM 651 credits towards both my business certificate and my PSYC Subs B major requirement, I would be able to take the standard 5 classes this semester rather than 6, likely resulting in much better academic performance. Furthermore, it is difficult to find a 6th class after the close of the enrollment period.
I look forward to receiving your response to my appeal. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or need any additional information. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely, Jacqueline (20367377)