Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Given the class discussion grade, since I have attended all the classes and did my best to participate in every discussion, I am really confused with the grade of 10/16 as Professor Raymond said the default grade is 12/15 in our very first class meeting. The Professor's explanation of this is quite vague. I cannot understand giving such a score by default, but there is a reverse deduction of points for contribution. The syllabus, as the basis for assessing performance in class, should be rigorously and clearly written and followed. The syllabus should be seen as our consensus and commitment to the class. Any changes should be clearly declared in advance, but we have not seen any clues about process evaluation until the final grade came out. Unfortunately, I also cannot see the respect for this commitment in the professor's response emails. The effort I put into this course is evident to other students in our class. As an international student, I admit that I could not keep up with the pace of every native speaker at the beginning of the class, so I actively reached out to my classmates after classes to discuss our critical thoughts on the topics. At the same time, I actively looked for opportunities to have more face-to-face communication with Professor Raymond. My classmates also felt that I made significant progress. A rigorous academic classroom requires an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion but does not include the blurring of grading rules. Even if I am given back just one default point, I feel that my efforts are recognized. In addition, since Professor Raymond was unable to provide definite office hours, I contact Professor Raymond after class by email. However, he never showed up at the appointed time. The waiting time varies from forty minutes to nearly two hours each time. I could only sit on the cold ground in front of the professor's office, missing my other courses. We, students, cannot see any respect for students' time.

Another unacceptable aspect is that Professor Raymond never updates any feedback on OnQ site. During the whole semester, we did not get any improvement directions until the final grade was posted on the SOLUS. The class had no idea about the grading scale for presentations and class discussions. After each presentation, we were left to guess at the professor's facial expressions and use that as a criterion to prepare for the next class and presentation. This caused huge psychological stress for me, who had never written and presented such a large paper before, and I often fell into a deep sense of self-doubt. However, the essence of education is to inspire thought rather than to plunge students into deep self-doubt.

As for the assignment, my ability of typing was severely limited by severe flu and cervical symptoms throughout the final period. Even right before I turned in my paper, I was still seeking help from doctors. The doctor in Student Wellness Centre recommended physical therapy and sent an email for me to issue the proof for academic consideration. I tried repeatedly to contact physical therapy but haven't received any reply. At the same time, I was under double mental stress as my grandparents were experiencing very serious COVID infection. My parents at home also began to suffer from high fever and no one could take care of the elders, and I had to contact my parents overnight to coordinate the consultation with their doctors. In my very poor mental and physical state, the professor was not sympathetic and only gave me two days. I had no choice but to submit the first draft of my paper, which greatly limited my expression. I followed the faculty's guidelines to apply for academic consideration, but I did not feel any understanding from Professor Raymond. For me, sick in bed and vomiting, the extended two-day period only added to the enormous psychological pressure. Given my respect for the deadline, I had no choice but to turn in the assignment to the department in the snowstorm. However, I still received a penalty. Although Professor Raymond said he will fix this, he put all the blame on me for sending him the emails and requests and said Please do no send any further emails about this. As such, I cannot feel any basic respect for this.

Queen's University has always had a global reputation for a rigorous school culture, which is the reason why I chose to spend my four most valuable years at Queen's. I have always believed that Queen's is an inclusive and supportive community that strives for common academic ideals. However, what I encountered in this class made it hard for me to feel respect for academic rules and care for students. I am very sorry and disappointed about this.