Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Jenn Stephenson. Associate Dean (Academic);

I am petitioning to late drop ARTH391 with Dr. Dawn Cunningham (Winter 2024), due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control. The nature of this circumstance is an extended exacerbation period of symptoms for an ongoing chronic disability to which I am registered with Accessibility Services. The nature of these circumstances made it difficult for me to complete the work expected of me to pass the course outside of class time, beginning the week of the 11th of February and continuing until the end of the term. I have taken steps to remain in contact with my accessibility advisor, Caitlin Bruce, to ensure communication with my instructors and arrange for alternative deadlines; however, due to the nature of the circumstances, I was still unable to complete the work that was expected of me due to the continuing exacerbation of symptoms.

As I was registered in several courses over the term, this specific course was limited in my options. My capacity to sufficiently complete what was required remained limited despite requiring additional time to complete assignments. Though my extenuating circumstances have affected the other courses in which I have been registered, I have met conditions to grant an IN or defer evaluative components, which, for this course, was not an option. I am following the guideline for ‘Incomplete’ standing, which indicates students who have been unable to complete the majority of the work in a class should consider a petition to drop a class after the deadline rather than an extension of the deadline to submit incomplete work. As mentioned, my extenuating circumstances occurred before the drop deadline of the term. I understand I had the opportunity to drop the course but did not drop it by the Week 8 deadline. Due to the nature of my condition being episodic on average for a couple of weeks at a time in which my level of functioning is affected, I reasonably hoped that the period of exacerbation would pass. I would be able to catch up on missed work per the alternate deadlines that I had arranged. However, this was not the case, and I was unable to meet them due to still struggling with my circumstances, which was neither sustainable nor doable for the state of my current functioning. I believe it was beyond the threshold of what I could cope with and complete.

I understand that the petition system is not designed to compensate for chronic circumstances, and given I have petitioned for courses before, I have learned more about how I can put myself in a better position from this situation, and this is the case for my circumstances this year. Outside of my current documented accommodations, I have been in consultation regarding developing concerns related to my permanent condition with my healthcare provider. I believe this has allowed me to gain additional knowledge regarding the effects of my condition on my academic abilities, and I am motivated to use this to proactively manage my condition and have my challenges documented more extensively; including a consideration of a more accurate diagnosis to which I am currently registered for. In referring to the nature of my condition being episodic in which my level of functioning and by extension, my academic abilities, are compromised, the occurrence of more extended episodes of exacerbation of symptoms and exacerbation of increasing severity is of particular concern to the criteria of a condition which has previously been discussed with my healthcare provider. I hope to present this to my current provider and continue consulting with accessibility services to form a plan based on these concerns I must best prepare me for success moving forward. Furthering the discussion of a future plan, beginning in the fall, I plan to take a lighter course load. I believe a portion of what may have contributed to stress that exacerbated my existing condition was an attempt to compensate with a higher number of courses to supplement my credits from the Winter 2023 term. Similar circumstances led to me failing a course, (which I did not drop late as I did not know about the petition to late drop could be done up to a year after the ending of the course at the time and assumed it was too late, and at the time believed I could still complete course expectations within the allotted time before the professor was due to submit their grades), and dropping another. Regarding my GPA, I ended the term with overall lower grades than what I usually aim to achieve due to struggling to complete work. This attempt to overcompensate and place high expectations on myself for achievement was additional stress when trying to complete what was expected of me during exacerbation episode. In regards to my GPA, I am also considering petitioning the standing for aegrotat grades – as my grades have also been affected in some courses this term – following consultation with academic advising.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Saila McRae-Croskery