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Petition Letter: Petition Letter - Request to Drop ENGL 114

Emily Davis
Student # 20532608

I am writing to request to drop ENGL 114 (Fall Term 2025).
Beginning in November, I experienced significant neurological symptoms leading to hospitalization and needing medical treatment and monitoring. This had a direct and substantial impact on my academic functioning. The areas most affected were reading, writing, and memory skills, all of which are central to success in an English course. Reading and writing became particularly difficult, often triggering severe neurological symptoms and overwhelming fatigue. As a result, I was unable to consistently complete assigned readings or engage in the level of analysis and written work required for the course. ENGL 114 was especially challenging because it relied heavily on the very functions that were most impaired by my medical condition. At the time of my decision to defer the final exam in ENGL 114, I was informed that I would not have access to a scribe or reader accommodations. Given the severity of my symptoms and the lack of these supports, deferring the exam was the only viable option. Despite the additional time, my condition did not improve to a level that allowed me to effectively review course material, study, or complete reading and writing tasks without significant negative health impacts. Memory impairment was also a major barrier. This made it extremely difficult to retain and recall course content, and attempting to write the exam weeks after the course had ended further compounded these difficulties.
In contrast, in my other courses, I had access to appropriate accommodations through QSAS,including a scribe, which allowed me to better demonstrate my knowledge. Additionally, courses such as Sociology and Psychology were multiple-choice in format, requiring significantly less sustained reading, writing, and cognitive load. These differences further highlight how ENGL 114 uniquely and disproportionately impacted me given my condition. In summary, the combined impact of impaired reading, writing, and memory along with the lack of necessary accommodations at the time of the original exam significantly limited my ability to prepare for and successfully complete the final exam in ENGL 114.


Thank you for your understanding and consideration,

Emily Davis