Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

My name is Benjamin Ruby and I am an economics student who just completed ECON 320.

At the suggestion of my Academic Advisor, I am writing to you today to request a credit standing for this course.

As you may know, the instructor for this course was originally Professor Mike Kennedy, who unfortunately passed away halfway through the course, and was replaced by Professor Alina Garnham. This change happened just before the midterm exam (I received an A on the midterm), which was the last assessment in the course covering material that Professor Kennedy had taught. The course then radically changed. A few weeks ago, I met with Professor Garnham to review my exam. She advised me that the class average on the final exam (which only covered the material she had taught) was 47%. This class average on the exam is indicative of a problem with the course, likely caused by Professor Kennedy’s passing.

Through the course I had solid attendance (except for a time when I returned home to have my wisdom teeth removed), a very good grade on the midterm, and fairly good grades on assignments. However, because of the final exam, I finished the class with a D+.

Near the end of the course, Professor Garnham told the students that if they did better on the final than the midterm then only the student’s final grade would be counted. This policy did not run in reverse (i.e. worse on the final than other assessments), so it did not help me.

In light of these circumstances, I am petitioning for credit standing. I believe that the final grade I received does not adequately reflect my understanding of the material and I am concerned that this grade may impact my ability to proceed with my studies.

Thank you,

Benjamin Ruby
20296600