Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Studies,

I am writing you today in hopes to have the weight of my final POLS 250 grade reduced. The 2015/2016 academic year proved to be a challenging one, specifically in regards to my health. I took the prior academic year off to adequately treat brain damage that arose from various concussions and seizures. I was aware heading into the fall term of 2015 many challenges may still be endured, as deficits from my numerous concussions were still a relevant factor. However, I was eager to return to my academics and it was the final step to a full recovery.

Upon returning to Queen's to continue my degree, I knew taking on a full course load may be too much. Therefore, I opted to enroll in four courses for the Fall 2015 semester. Despite my preparedness to return to school, during the first week I received my 14th concussion. Please refer to Appendix 1 for my Verification of Illness form. This resulted in me not being able to attend school until week five. I emailed the professor for POLS 250, Colin Farrelly, informing him of my absence, requesting lecture and tutorial notes to ensure I do not fall behind and to let me know if he has any questions or concerns. This email is Appendix 2. My recovery lasted longer than expected. I was seen by a concussion specialist at Queen's Therapy Zone, and he strongly advised for me to not return to academics for a few more weeks. I maintained strong communications with Professor Farrelly and emailed him regarding this update. This email is attached in Appendix 3.

I was aware completing 12.0 units in half the time of my peers would be challenging, but I was determined to succeed. Subsequent to returning to academics, I emailed Professor Farrelly to set up a time to discuss a plan for me to complete the remaining coursework for the semester, this included: a mid-term, essay, and December exam. The mid-term examination was set to take place on the Monday of week seven, November 2nd. This left two weeks to catch-up on five weeks of material for POLS 250, and my three other courses. I felt this would place me at an unfair disadvantage to my peers, and hinder the midterm to reflect my true academic ability. Therefore, I sought to move the mid-term date to a later time to allow me to adequately prepare. Please refer to Appendix 6. However, this request was denied as the full-year course was comprised of 6 components all worth 20 - the lowest grade would be dropped. Therefore, I did not write the mid-term as I felt I was not prepared, and Professor Farrelly and I agreed it would be my dropped grade.

I completed the fall term paper and December exam as scheduled in the syllabus. However, as I had not written one of Professor Farrelly's exams prior I was not sure what to expect in the December exam. My performance was mediocre, but I believe it was negatively impacted by me completing 12.0 units in half the time of my peers. Thus, I do not believe it reflected my true academic potential.

The three other courses I completed in Fall 2015, I received a grade of B or above. The courses were all 3.0 units, and I do plan to re-take POLS 261 and COMM 200s as I believe the final grades do not reflect my true academic ability.
During the Winter 2016 semester I endured chronic strep throat. I was diagnosed with strep throat at least once a month for the four months of the semester. The chronic strep throat entailed fevers, vomiting, and extreme fatigue. As I have a history of epilepsy, it is vital for me to listen to my body when ill; if I try to push through illness it places greater stress on my body and increase the likelihood of a seizures occurring. The constant reoccurrence of the illness led me to develop a resistance to the anti-biotics, thus requiring for two rounds of anti-biotics. This often meant 14 to 20 days of medication before I would feel well again. I received a tonsillectomy at the beginning of May 2016 to resolve this issue.

I received strep throat prior to the winter mid-term for POLS 250. Therefore, I reached out to Professor Farrelly, this email can be seen in Appendix 7. Professor Farrelly, informed me that the head TA, Korey Pasch, would arrange a rewrite. However, Korey Pasch was not included on this email therefore was unaware I needed to write the mid-term at a delayed date. The anti-biotics for this instance of strep throat were unsuccessful, therefore left me sick for longer as I required a second round of a different anti-biotic. Once I was feeling well again, I reached out to Korey Pasch regarding the re-write of the winter mid-term. This is when Korey informed me he was unaware I needed to write the mid-term, and the re-write date had passed. This email is in Appendix 9.

I ended up writing the winter mid-term in week 12 when various papers and assignments worth a large portion of my grade were due. I was not able to request extra-time on these papers and assignments as I only received notice I would be writing the POLS 250 mid-term a few days prior, thus not enough notice for instructors to grant me a deferred due date. Similarly, I felt that if I did request an alternative due date for these papers and assignments, it would negatively impact my studying for exams. I wrote the POLS 250 winter mid-term in week 12 with my academic accommodations. However, I never received my mid-term grade back prior to writing the final POLS 250 April exam, despite the length of time being greater than two weeks. Not receiving my POLS 250 mid-term grade back did not allow me a chance to see how and where I can improve further to achieve a greater mark on the final exam - as my peers did.

Furthermore, during the POLS 250 final exam the software I use for my academic accommodations failed. During any in-class examination I require the use of a computer due to a motor impairment, and the program Natural Reader to read my writing back to me as I am dyslexic, I misinterpret what I am reading and sometimes write down something different than intended. I informed the proctor of this exam regarding my complication. The only plausible solution was to have a scribe who would write down what I dictate. The POLS 250 exam was an essay comparing two theorists. I have never verbally dictated an essay prior, I found it to be extremely difficult to communicate my thoughts verbally to form an essay. This also took extra time as there was miscommunication between the scribe and I, and I would have her read back what she had written on the paper to me to ensure it is what I intended. I feel that the failure for my program to work, and the use of a scribe significantly impacted my true academic potential and was beyond my control. Upon completing the exam, I emailed Professor Farrelly regarding the challenges faced during my final exam. This email is attached in Appendix 12.

Once I received my final grade for POLS 250 I reached out to Professor Farrelly regarding my concerns. In the email I outlined the various challenges I faced during the school year that were beyond my control and did not reflect my true academic potential. Please refer to Appendix 13. I suggested that I could complete another exam, assignment, or paper. Professor Farrelly agreed to drop my final exam grade, however I still believe the four remaining components of my grade do not reflect my true academic ability and were beyond my control.

The grade received in POLS 250, C+, was the lowest of my academic career. It brings down my Arts and Science GPA from a 3.383 to a 3.296. I am requesting my POLS 250 grade weight be reduced, as I believe the various circumstances at play were beyond my control, including my health, completing the course in half the time as my peers, and the software failing.

During the Fall 2016 term, I did receive a C+ in a COMM 611, which does not count towards my Arts and Science GPA. This course is Financial Accounting, which I was unfamiliar with. Throughout this course I attended weekly office hours, and received a tutor to help me in the course. I will be redoing this course to increase the grade. If POLS 250 were a 3.0 unit course I would be opened to redoing the course, however, as it is a 6.0 unit course, it would require I return for a full 5th year, which would require additional funds. I am currently planning to return for one extra semester in Fall 2018 to redo the 3.0 unit courses which were most impacted by my health in the 2015/2016 academic year, and to ensure the grades reflect my true academic ability.

When analyzing my transcript, it is evident that most of my grades range between a B+ and A-. Therefore, I believe if these external factor were not at play during the 2015/2016 year I would have been able to achieve a similar grade. In the future, if similar circumstances were to arise I will ensure to reduce my course load further, take a semester off, and seek advice from the various student services on campus, including academic advising.

The factors at play during the 2015/2016 academic year were beyond my control and did not allow my true academic ability to flourish. I sincerely hope the arguments outlined above demonstrate my efforts to resolve the matters at play and prosper academically. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if further evidence or clarification is necessary.

Sincerely,

Nicole Toole