Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

My name is Anna Cumming (20145060), and I am a third year Psychology student completing the Certificate in Business. On November 22nd, 2021 after experiencing a week of breathing difficulties, as well as throat, upper back, and neck pain, I was admitted overnight at Kingston General Hospital. Upon running tests, the doctors noted that my d-dimer test came back higher than normal. I was placed on blood thinners for either a suspected heart attack or pulmonary embolism. On November 23rd, I had a CT scan to determine where this clot occurred, and the doctors caught a tumour near my spine, which I was told can cause neurological damage. On November 25th, I flew back home to Vancouver, BC to conduct further medical exams to see if I needed to remove this tumour. The stress of this event, on top of the time that was taken away from studying due to anxiety and physical pain, meant that I was unable to fulfill all of my course requirements for the Fall 2021 term. Notably, I was unable to complete both Midterm 3 and the Final Exam for PSYC 351, Social and Emotional Development.

I immediately spoke to my professor about my options as I also decided to take the Winter 2022 semester off. I filed a Leave of Absence form, provided supporting documentation from Kingston General Hospital, as well as a Return to Studies form for September. He said that I would be able to figure this out in September when I returned. On May 10th, 2022, I emailed my professor to check in and see what my options were for writing the final two assignments for PSYC 351; he mentioned that ??there may be the need for me to ?appeal?? my grade because he thinks the incomplete (IN) will turn to an F soon. Just a formality?. My grade had turned into an F by the time I was notified that this was a possibility. Given that I was unaware and that such a grade is atypical based on my past academic performance, I have filed for three different appeal options because I am unsure of what is possible and what best fits my situation: file to drop the course and retake it, file for an Aerograt standing based on the assignments that I did complete, and an appeal to file a grade change request once I have completed the rest of the course. I will explain my current situation below.

I have been told by the Faculty of Arts and Science Appeals that to extend my IN grade and eventually request a grade change after the submission deadline, I would have to complete my exam(s) in early September before the Fall 2022 term starts. This will be incredibly challenging for me, given that I work 40 hours/week until August 27th, 2022. I am not confident that I can perform to the best of my ability due to lack of time and preparation. I have considered other options relating to this appeal, such as learning the course on my own and writing both Midterm 3 and the Final Exam during the Fall 2022 exam period. Despite this, I fear that this will significantly impact my academic performance in the courses that I will take next semester as someone that wishes to pursue a Masters degree. If I were to take Midterm 3 and the cumulative Final Exam during the December exam period, I would have to ?re-learn?? the course anyways, given that I have not learned this material since November 2021. This would be on top of my other courses.

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I have taken a reduced course load due to diagnosed depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and an unidentified eating disorder. The one semester in which I took a full course-load, I went home and was diagnosed with the aforementioned illnesses due to debilitating anxiety as all of these factors intersected. I fear that not only will these two exams impact my academic performance, but also the state of my mental health. I am hoping that the Appeals office will help me with my options given my mental and physical health, as well as my academic concerns.

I also would like to discuss the steps that I have taken to alleviate my mental health symptoms, so the Appeals office is aware that I have been proactive about my illnesses. In October 2020, I took the opportunity to go home for the rest of the semester and the beginning of the next semester to focus on my mental health. I started seeing a Registered Clinical Counsellor, completed a medical assessment in which I was diagnosed, and started medication for anxiety, obsessive compulsive personality disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and my unidentified eating disorder. In February 2021, I was able to return to school in a much better state as I took this time to truly focus on my mental health with no distractions. This was an incredibly important time for me, however I do still have to moderate my stress levels at all times as to not provoke these aforementioned illnesses. All of this goes to say that I want to respect the integrity of PSYC 351 and complete the course; however, I fear that given my mental health struggles, I will not be able to complete the course in full, on top of my other courses this semester. I am trying my best, and of course wish that I was able to complete the course in December 2021.

Thank you,

Anna Cumming
20145060