Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean ,

I wanted to reach out regarding hopefully receiving a Credit Standing on my transcripts for the D+ grade appearing on my transcripts for IDIS 199 in fall 2021.

2021 was a very difficult year for me with COVID, struggling with depression and anxiety, and family circumstances. As I was taking my courses online, it became very difficult for me to separate school and my personal life. It was also extremely difficult to communicate with the IDIS 199 teaching staff and I received no feedback on my work on how to improve. I remember sending multiple emails to the teaching team about how I could improve and not receiving any responses. This was also likely due to the fact that most of my work was not graded until a few days before the exam when it was very hard to get a hold of the teaching staff. Many students had similar concerns about the class on the both Arts and Science Online Facebook group and a Change.org petition. I have included the statements of other students who experienced this. This whole process left me feeling very defeated coupled with my declining mental health, family circumstances, and coping with an abusive partner. I felt extremely let down by faculty and was dealing with healing my mental health so I, unfortunately, did not submit an appeal within 21 days.

Come 2022 I am doing much better, and I am working toward the goal of helping other women by becoming a midwife. This IDIS 199 grade is the lowest on my transcripts by a significant margin and I am worried that it will impact my chances of receiving admission to the midwifery program which is extremely competitive. Working toward this goal has been extremely rewarding and I have immersed myself in community service and academics. Although I am doing so much better this year both in my mental health and academics, this D+ on my transcripts feels like a stain I cannot get out. It is a constant reminder of the emotional state I was in the fall of last year and is holding me back from being successful in my future endeavours. The addition of a Credit Standing to replace the D+ in IDIS 199 would help me achieve my goals.

Thank you so much for your consideration,

Charlotte Danks
20297278