Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Appeal Committee,

I am writing to request a Credit (CR) standing in my SOCY363 due to extenuating medical circumstances that impacted my academic performance. I believe this accommodation is warranted, given the challenges I dealt with as outlined below.

Between July 2 and November 6, 2024, I was under intensive medical care at Toronto General Hospital, including both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs. While the inpatient phase did not directly overlap with school, the outpatient phase continued until November. As noted in the letter from my Clinical Intake Coordinator, Ms. Kelsey Johnston, the treatment included two one-hour appointments daily as well as two, one-hour, weekly appointments, between August 14 and September 17, followed by two additional one-hour appointments twice weekly for eight weeks and once weekly for another four weeks. All these appointments fell within regular business hours (9-14) which happened to be when my classes were scheduled. Therefore, for the first month of school, these mandatory appointments directly interfered with my class times, such that I missed nearly all classes for my courses in September.

In addition to the scheduled treatments, my recovery process demanded considerable effort which was both physically and mentally taxing. This included adhering to therapeutic practices tied to my treatment program. As noted in the letter from Ms. Kelsey Johnston, it is common for students undergoing such treatment to require academic accommodations to fully participate in their recovery. Despite my best efforts to balance academics and treatment, including requesting accommodations as needed, the demands of my medical care left me with limited time and energy to do my coursework.

The impact on my academics was significant. Firstly, I spent most of October catching up on the material I missed from September, taking away from my ability to stay on top of my courses. Moreover, the consistency of treatment meant it coincided with critical periods in the semester, including highly weighted midterm assignments and exams. My grade in SOCY363 was especially impacted, as our midterm assignment (weighted at 35%) was an essay that required a thorough understanding of the first month of content (I received a 56% on this essay). Another aspect of that grade affected was participation, in which we were required us to write graded reflections each class (two times a week) on the readings from the week. I often was unable to receive good grades on these as my medical treatment interfered with my ability to stay on top of readings, and I regularly felt unwell during classes which impacted my focus.

While I made every effort to stay engaged in the course, the competing demands of my health with academic responsibilities forced me to prioritize my health. This situation is reflected in my final grade for the course, which does not accurately represent my abilities or time commitment under normal circumstances.

Going into the semester, I knew balancing this treatment and school would be a challenge but was determined not to lose a full semester of school as a result. Granting a Credit (CR) standing in SOCY363 would allow my transcript to reflect my successful completion of the course without the grade negatively affecting my cumulative GPA. I have consistently demonstrated strong academic performance throughout university, and I am confident that without the challenges posed by this medical treatment I would have achieved a grade that aligns with my usual standards.
I would greatly appreciate your support and understanding in providing a credit standing to compensate for my extenuating circumstances.

I am grateful for your consideration of my request and am happy to provide any additional documentation or details to support this petition.

Sincerely,
Taylor Stockwell
20233698