Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,


I am writing this letter to appeal to drop CHEM 281 - General Organic Chemistry I (Fall, 2019).

In Fall of 2019, I was devastated to hear the news of the passing of my great grand-mother. She was someone who had a constant presence in my childhood. In particular, her passing made studying for organic chemistry particular difficult as she was a school teacher in chemistry and is someone I first expressed my interest in chemistry to; we also had multiple chats about university chemistry over the summer. Suddenly, studying a subject that I truly enjoyed became very difficult. This made studying for organic chemistry emotionally challenging. Although, the passing occurred before the drop deadline, I was hopeful that I would be able to focus on organic chemistry. Additionally, some family problems that happened in late November/December took a lot of personal energy and time, affecting my wellbeing. Each time I had tried to study organic chemistry, my emotional wellbeing was affected. Additionally, in our culture, there are rituals that must be completed by family members periodically following the passing. Some of these rituals had to be completed during the December exam period, particularly between December 12-13, due to cultural and religious practices, just a day before the CHEM 281 exam. These circumstances beyond my control significantly affected my performance in CHEM 281.

The rituals for the death of my great grandmother have been completed and I have taken the time to reflect and write down my thoughts about what has happened. After finishing exams, I have also taken the time to share my thoughts with my mom to help with the process. Since doing so, I am feeling much better emotionally. I am engaging in daily meditation as well. For now, I am considering retaking the course in one of the later years. For the next semester, I also plan on taking another elective course to make up for the credit units missed for this course.

As a Chancellor's Scholar, academic success is of the utmost priority for me and I have always given and will continue to give my best efforts in academics.


I would sincerely appreciate it if CHEM 281 (Fall, 2019) can be dropped.



Sincerely,

Zwetlana Rajesh