Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing the finding and sanction of the Finding of a Departure from Academic Integrity for the use of unauthorized materials on a final exam, made by Dr. Christopher A. Ward on behalf of Dr. Myron R. Szewczuk.
The circumstances were as follows. My grandmother passed away on December 14th, 2020. I was very close with her, as I am with my parents, and their support both emotionally and academically is what helped me get through this rough time of our lives. My mental state at this point in time was not good, but it was the middle of my exam period and I had my MICR 386 final exam the following day, on December 15th, 2020. This meant I needed to find a way to cope and write my exam the next day, as it was too late to request a change of my exam date. I spoke to my parents and grandmother every day, as she was the last grandparent I had left. They encourage me to do my best in all that I do, which is why I have been trying my best academically and working hard to do well in classes. I was prepared for my exams and had studied very thoroughly for all of them. Therefore, academically, I was prepared, but the day of my grandmother's passing, my mental health was struggling, and I found it extremely difficult to get through the day. The next morning was my exam. I wrote it with the photo of my family on my desk. I received a final grade of A in the course after the exam was marked. It is important to note, that in all of my courses in Fall 2020, I did well in my exams. This is because I was academically prepared for all of them even before finding out the news about my grandmother. I received an A+ in one course and an A in another, but the difference between the situation I am appealing and my other courses, is that this exam was my first one, and it was the day following her passing. This is why I had the photo with me. In that moment, I was in shock and felt helpless. My mother told me to keep the photo with me to help remind me of what my grandmother would have wanted for me, and to focus on what is important in the present moment. I had that photo on my desk all the time regardless because of how important my family is to me, but in this moment, it was my way of mentally coping with the situation. This is why I only had it with me during the first exam, until I had realized how misunderstood I might be in this situation. My performance on all of my exams proved to be well, as can be seen from my final marks in the other courses, showing I do not need unauthorized aids in order to succeed. This situation at hand makes it even difficult for me to deal with my grandmother's passing, as I feel as though I am being wrongly accused of an innocent act out of suspicion, without concrete evidence of anything. I have never breached academic integrity. I have been a student who takes my education very seriously, and I find this finding and sanction both to be wrongful and unfair. I am dealing with these circumstances by speaking with my family every day, surrounding myself with my loved ones, and praying. Grief is a process, and I am overcoming it as time passes. My academic performance has not been impacted by these extenuating circumstances, because as time passes, I am capable of separating school from life and focus. My grade in MICR 386 has been impacted, as the wrongful accusation has resulted in my receiving a 0 on the final exam.
My request is as follows. I have been wrongfully accused of a Departure from Academic Integrity, which has resulted in my final grade in the course being a D+. I went into the exam with an A+ (92). It is extremely unfair to give me a grade of 0 percent on a final exam worth 35 percent with no concrete evidence that I was using unauthorized materials. As stated by the faculty, the use of unauthorized materials constitutes: possessing or using unauthorized study materials or aids during a test or using unauthorized calculator or other aids during a test. I had an unauthorized item on my desk, a photo of my family. This does not constitute a study material or aid, or an unauthorized calculator. A photo does not aid me in the academic performance of my final exam whatsoever, it aids me with my emotional state. This is why I am appealing the finding, as my situation does not align with the definition of a departure based on the use of unauthorized materials. This item did not impact my academic performance on this assessment. My prior knowledge and effective studying is what led me to my performance on this assessment.
I am also appealing the sanction. This is because it is stated by the faculty that: the instructor is expected to assign an appropriate remedy or sanction that reflects the extent and severity of the departure. This remedy brings my final mark in the course from an A (following my original exam mark) to a D+. This is clearly not an appropriate remedy in this case. Firstly, because the extent and severity of the departure is not severe. I did not depart from academic integrity, as I had no study materials or aids with me during my exam. Even though this cannot be proven, it also cannot be proven by the faculty that I did have study materials or aids with me. Therefore, it is extremely unfair for the faculty to be capable of making a change so detrimental to my student record and transcript such as this one, without having concrete evidence of their case. This is why this sanction clearly is not an appropriate remedy. For example, if it was believed by the review board that I possessed unauthorized materials during my exam, the simple fact that there is no concrete evidence of this should prevent the instructor from being capable of assigning a sanction severe enough to be capable of ruining my GPA that I have worked so hard for, for the past 3 years, and ruining my chance to get accepted to graduate or professional schools in the future. This sanction is essentially impacting my future for many years, and is based on an assumption, lack of concrete evidence, and speculation. This is not an appropriate remedy.
In conclusion, I do not believe that the photo I had is considered a departure from academic integrity, and I also believe that the sanction is extremely severe, for a case based on speculation.