Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Academic Petitions Committee,

Please accept this letter in support of my request that the grade I received in LISC (Life Science) 300 be converted from a letter grade of a “D-” to a designation of “CR.”
I took LISC 300 during the Fall of 2023 with Dr. Sheela Abraham. LISC 300 is a group and project-based class. I struggled to attend and meet the deadlines of this class during the Fall of 2023 as my long-term anxiety was in a heightened state, and I was experiencing an ulcerative colitis flare. Attached to this petition please find my medical records, a letter from my therapist documenting both my anxiety and ulcerative colitis, and a copy of my QSAS accommodations.

During September of 2023, I was meeting the requirements of LISC 300 and could work with my group; however, during October, my anxiety levels heightened causing my ulcerative colitis to flare as midterms and project deadlines approached. This was due to a challenging course load that included a physiology research project course (PHGY 499), Biochemistry (BCHM 315), and Immunology (MICR 386), in addition to LISC 300. I was in a highly stressed state so to keep up with my coursework, I requested and received extensions in most courses. This included an extension to complete an individual assignment in LISC 300. Even with the extensions, my anxiety and physical pain due to my ulcerative colitis caused me to still regularly miss classes, including LISC 300.

In November 2023, my anxiety and ulcerative colitis persisted, further exacerbating my existing stress and making it even more difficult to meet the increasing academic demands of my course load. There was a 3-page group written report due in LISC 300 which I was unable to timely complete. I requested an extension from Dr. Abraham, but she was unable to grant me the extension because it was a group project. Ultimately, I received a “0” on this assignment. I felt embarrassed, guilty, and ashamed for not completing the assignment on time and disappointing my group.

Later in November, a larger group assignment was given in LISC 300 where much of the work was to be completed in class and meetings set up outside class hours. With my heightened anxiety and ulcerative colitis flaring, I would attend class when able but still missed several classes. I worked on this project outside of class providing my group mates with updates on my progress. Notwithstanding my efforts, my contributions to this group project were more limited compared to others and my project grade reflected my limited participation.

During December 2023, my coursework for LISC 300 was complete; however, my anxiety continued, and my ulcerative colitis raged on. Mentally, I reached a new low. I was in a tailspin and could not balance my project work and studying. I was seen by the mental health counselors at Queen’s Student Wellness and was fortunate to receive extensions on my PHGY 499 written report as well as exam deferrals in BCHM 315 and MICR 386. If it were not for these extensions, I do not believe that I would have received passing grades in these courses.
In January 2024, I started regular mental health counseling to help with my anxiety and my ulcerative colitis symptoms began to calm down due to the extensions in place and support from my family, ultimately reducing my stress. I took a reduced course load of 9 credits, but I still received extensions so that I could complete my work.

At the end of the Winter 2024 semester, after speaking with my academic advisor and Dr. Robert Campbell it was decided that I would enroll in STAT 263, BCHM 315, and LISC 300 to improve my grades. Unfortunately, BCHM 315 and LISC 300 conflicted for 1 hour during the week. To take both classes, I required the approval of both Dr. Campbell and Dr. Abraham due to the timing conflict. Dr. Campbell was willing to approve me taking both classes with the understanding that I would miss one hour of BCHM 315 once a week and meet with him individually to ensure I did not fall behind. However, Dr. Abraham, even though I would not miss her class, would not authorize me to re-take LISC 300 due to the conflict. She felt taking both classes would be too difficult, so I did not get the opportunity to take LISC 300.

During the Fall of 2023, when I took LISC 300, I was experiencing heightened anxiety and an ulcerative colitis flare which prohibited me from attending many of the LISC 300 classes and meeting group deadlines which adversely affected my LISC 300 grade. For this reason, I would respectfully request that you convert my letter grade in LISC 300 from a “D-” to a designation of “CR.”

Sincerely,
Hannah Marmor (20220907)