Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,


The past year presented significant academic challenges that impacted my performance. In my previous year, I unfortunately failed two courses, Chem 112 and Math 121/124, due to myself not realizing I should have consulted proper academic guidance while attempting to switch into Chemistry, compounded by the necessity of working during the school year.

This academic year, I re-enrolled in Math 121 with the determination to pass and clear the previous failure from my transcript (I plan to do the same with Chemistry next year). The mental stress and pressure of redoing these two challenging, six-unit courses have been substantial, making it difficult to effectively prioritize my academic focus, even as I have actively sought to develop better study habits.

Furthermore, my commitment to the Armed Forces Reserves required me to attend Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) every other weekend—Friday through Sunday—throughout the semester. This created a significant time crunch, especially when balanced against the heavy demands of my core courses, including Math 121, upper-level Global Development courses, and Economics.

Unfortunately, this extreme pressure led to me missing the submission deadline for my DEVS 280 final paper as well as an assignment earlier in the semester. In the last week of November, my primary focus was preparing for the Math 121 exam, which I was determined to pass. This period overlapped with my BMQ weekend and was immediately followed by a difficult Microeconomic Theory exam. In the intensity of exam preparation, I regrettably forgot to complete and submit my DEVS 280 paper and failed to request an extension.

I was finally able to finish and submit the paper on the 23rd. I immediately notified my TA upon submission but was informed that I would need academic consideration to have the paper graded.

Therefore, I respectfully request that this petition for academic consideration be granted so that my final paper in DEVS 280 can be graded, allowing me to avoid an “F” on my transcript.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter. Please do not hesitate to ask if you require any additional information.

Sincerely,

Emory Reid Geho