Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I am appealing for credit standing for the courses : BCHM 218 (Fall, 2020), CANC 380 (Fall, 2021), and BCHM 315 (Fall, 2021).
In the Fall of 2020, I was dealing with health issues which impacted my ability to perform well on examinations using Examity. I had never used Examity before my first midterm for BCHM 218 took place, which was worth 25% of my grade, so I did significantly worse than I usually perform on an exam of this type. As I used Examity more, my ability to perform using this software has improved, but the first time was for a BCHM 218 exam, a core course for my degree, therefore I could not drop the course. I am appealing the grade now as I have only been recently made aware that one can appeal for credit standing as an option for dealing with these types of scenarios, despite reaching out to multiple members of the faculty during and after the completion of BCHM 218. I now have academic accommodations, as of January 2022, and am receiving medical treatment which has and will continue to assist me in completing proctored examinations. These proctored exams can be quite intimidating when someone disagreeable, and oftentimes mean, is barking orders at you, in your own home and personal space, just before you begin an exam.
Additionally, in the Fall 2021, I had been admitted to the hospital at the beginning of November after a bad reaction to a medical procedure causing me to become very ill. The day I was hospitalized, I had an assignment due the same day for CANC 380 and a midterm for BCHM 315 within a week. For weeks leading up to this procedure, I had been ill, resulting in my schoolwork being impacted, and leading to unpreparedness for my midterm and a disorganized assignment. This resulted in me receiving low marks, and later impacted my other assignments as I was trying to catch up and keep up while feeling ill everyday, all day. For example, the assignment I handed in for CANC 380 was a two-part assignment worth 40% in total, and since my first half had to be handed in late, I had to rush through the second half as I had significantly less time than the rest of the class who had already received feedback before I could even hand my part 1 in. My other classes were also impacted in the Fall 2021, but BCHM 315 and CANC 380 were the most influenced due to their deliverable due dates. I am applying for credit standing now as I wanted to have a final grade before applying, and have been working on arranging required medical appointments to obtain the documentation needed, and I was working on organizing for my academic accommodations for my ongoing health issues. I could not drop the courses as it was past the drop date, and BCHM 315 is a mandatory course for my program.
The impact BCHM 218 and BCHM 315 results have on my degree would mean I am unable to participate in my biochemistry specialization due to the BCHM 421/422 GPA requirements, hence I am applying for credit standing as I could not foresee ending up in the hospital nor could I control my ongoing health issues at the time. By the time I had used Examity for the first time, which no one could forsee as the pandemic was unexpected, it was too late to be given an academic accommodation to provide any hope of receiving a decent grade in the class. Due to these reasons, I am applying for credit standing for the courses BCHM 218 (Fall, 2020), CANC 380 (Fall, 2021), and BCHM 315 (Fall, 2021).
Thank you for your consideration,
Abigail
I am appealing for credit standing for the courses : BCHM 218 (Fall, 2020), CANC 380 (Fall, 2021), and BCHM 315 (Fall, 2021).
In the Fall of 2020, I was dealing with health issues which impacted my ability to perform well on examinations using Examity. I had never used Examity before my first midterm for BCHM 218 took place, which was worth 25% of my grade, so I did significantly worse than I usually perform on an exam of this type. As I used Examity more, my ability to perform using this software has improved, but the first time was for a BCHM 218 exam, a core course for my degree, therefore I could not drop the course. I am appealing the grade now as I have only been recently made aware that one can appeal for credit standing as an option for dealing with these types of scenarios, despite reaching out to multiple members of the faculty during and after the completion of BCHM 218. I now have academic accommodations, as of January 2022, and am receiving medical treatment which has and will continue to assist me in completing proctored examinations. These proctored exams can be quite intimidating when someone disagreeable, and oftentimes mean, is barking orders at you, in your own home and personal space, just before you begin an exam.
Additionally, in the Fall 2021, I had been admitted to the hospital at the beginning of November after a bad reaction to a medical procedure causing me to become very ill. The day I was hospitalized, I had an assignment due the same day for CANC 380 and a midterm for BCHM 315 within a week. For weeks leading up to this procedure, I had been ill, resulting in my schoolwork being impacted, and leading to unpreparedness for my midterm and a disorganized assignment. This resulted in me receiving low marks, and later impacted my other assignments as I was trying to catch up and keep up while feeling ill everyday, all day. For example, the assignment I handed in for CANC 380 was a two-part assignment worth 40% in total, and since my first half had to be handed in late, I had to rush through the second half as I had significantly less time than the rest of the class who had already received feedback before I could even hand my part 1 in. My other classes were also impacted in the Fall 2021, but BCHM 315 and CANC 380 were the most influenced due to their deliverable due dates. I am applying for credit standing now as I wanted to have a final grade before applying, and have been working on arranging required medical appointments to obtain the documentation needed, and I was working on organizing for my academic accommodations for my ongoing health issues. I could not drop the courses as it was past the drop date, and BCHM 315 is a mandatory course for my program.
The impact BCHM 218 and BCHM 315 results have on my degree would mean I am unable to participate in my biochemistry specialization due to the BCHM 421/422 GPA requirements, hence I am applying for credit standing as I could not foresee ending up in the hospital nor could I control my ongoing health issues at the time. By the time I had used Examity for the first time, which no one could forsee as the pandemic was unexpected, it was too late to be given an academic accommodation to provide any hope of receiving a decent grade in the class. Due to these reasons, I am applying for credit standing for the courses BCHM 218 (Fall, 2020), CANC 380 (Fall, 2021), and BCHM 315 (Fall, 2021).
Thank you for your consideration,
Abigail