Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies,

I am appealing to drop CHEM 281 (Fall 2017) after the academic deadline.

I am appealing because I received a major concussion on May 2, 2017 and experienced ongoing post-concussion syndrome for the following four months. My symptoms included severe headaches, dizziness, blurred vision and sensitivity to sound and light. I also had difficulty concentrating and retaining memory during this period.

I was advised by my family physician that I should limit mental tasks and cognitive activities, as well as avoid looking at electronic screens while I recovered. This made it extremely difficult to study for my online course as it largely required computer access and the completion of online assignments. I attempted to study out of the textbook in order to avoid screen time, however I found that I was still unable to focus or retain information even when reading off of paper. I completed as much of the online content as I could by working on assignments for small durations of time but found that when I did this it exacerbated my symptoms and caused my headaches and light sensitivity to become worse.

In mid-May I had a follow up visit with my doctor and she advised that I avoid all coursework for at least a week. I was also on sick leave from my job at this time. I looked into dropping CHEM 281 immediately after this appointment however the drop date had already passed. Due to the condensed timeline of summer courses I was already very behind as a result of my concussion. I decided that my only option was to take time off and to do my best to learn the content once my symptoms were less severe.

Over the following weeks I was able to slowly increase study time as my brain healed, but continued to find it difficult to retain information or study for durations of time longer than 20-30 minutes a day. Luckily I was able to complete a majority of online coursework on time as the assignments were short and open book. However, memorization and cognitive tasks continued to prove much more difficult than usual as a result of my headaches and inability to think clearly. I looked into applying for exam accommodations but was unable to have them arranged in the required timeline. I did not feel that an exam deferral would be helpful in this situation because of the lack of a set timeline for my recovery.

I wrote the exam, but had to take frequent breaks from answering questions over the exam period due to my headache, light sensitivity, blurred vision and general inability to complete chemistry problems as I normally would. The final exam was worth 80 of my grade so this had a huge impact on my performance in the course.

I feel that my concussion severely impacted my ability to complete the course to the best of my ability. Even when I felt well enough to attempt to study, my post-concussion symptoms had a profound impact on my capacity to perform mental tasks and retain knowledge. I was forced to take time off from my coursework and was unable to keep up as a result. This was further intensified by the condensed syllabus associated with online summer courses. Between my inability to prepare for the exam and the difficulty I experienced while writing it, I do not feel that my performance in the course reflects what I am capable of.

I plan to retake the CHEM 281 in the Summer 2018 term once I know that I am well enough to complete it to the best of my ability. I plan to apply for graduate programs in the field of biology in the future and know that I will need this course to be considered. I feel that without my concussion holding me back, I will be able to keep up with coursework and apply the study techniques that I have developed over my undergraduate career. I feel that this will in turn lead to my success in the course when I retake it over the next summer term.

Sincerely,

Allison Hammond