Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I am writing to formally appeal a late drop (DR) of MATH 120 Differential and Integral Calculus (Fall/Winter 2024/25) from my academic record due to extenuating circumstances during these academic terms.
In August 2024, I underwent surgery to repair chronic dislocations and subluxations of my left shoulder. This surgery carries a 4-6 month functional recovery time and up to 12 months full recovery time which left me in considerable physical pain and mental distress including concerns of reinjury, failed surgical repair and limited physical function requiring prolonged periods of immobilization throughout the academic term. As a result, this often impacted my ability to engage fully in daily and scholarly activities including but not limited to cooking, getting dressed, writing, typing and more. While coping with the effects of the initial surgery, I suffered another traumatic shoulder injury in February 2025 dislocating my right shoulder, with suspected rotator cuff damage, a torn AC joint, a torn labrum and nerve damage. This injury rendered my dominant hand completely immobilized for a mandatory time of 3 weeks and left it largely unfunctional beyond that for another 6 weeks where I underwent multiple imaging and medical appointments due to severe tendonosis, limited neuromuscular function, and suspected structural tears. During this time I experienced severe nerve and muscle pain that made it near impossible to complete basic tasks as I battled the road to recovery.
In combination, these injuries had a substantial impact not only on my physical ability to complete tasks in academic settings and everyday life but also on my mental health and academic confidence. I lost the ability to participate in exercise and other daily routines which form foundational aspects of health, mental health and well-being. Despite this, I made every effort to remain engaged in all my courses to the best of my abilities, earning good grades in all other courses. However, MATH 120 posed a unique challenge in its lecture and evaluation style that made it particularly difficult to compensate. Unlike my other course which entailed flexible, group and project-based work for many grade components, MATH 120 relied heavily on written practice, individual work, hand-written notes and cumulative written assessments. My inability to complete some assessments, paired with the challenge of practicing, taking notes and heavy reweighting of assessments made this course increasingly difficult to not only gauge my progress but also practice and improve my understanding of materials and their applications. Furthermore, I both underestimated and could not have anticipated the severity, and worsening effects of both the surgery and continuous reinjury of both my arms during this time, leading me to expect a recovery much sooner than was reality.
While I did seek accommodations through university channels, I now realize that I had significantly underestimated the effects of my injuries cumulatively and as such did not seek as much support as I truly needed. Despite this, I never requested to drop the course during the term as I believed in good faith that I could overcome these obstacles and pass the course. This decision, rooted in determination and perseverance ultimately worked against me as my circumstances continued to worsen throughout the terms.
Since the end of the winter term, my condition has steadily improved and I am currently taking the Life Sciences degree equivalent and recommended course MATH 121 over the summer to fill this gap in my degree plan. The addition of online resources, lectures and evaluations in this course paired with my improving condition has allowed me to engage more comprehensively in my academic duties during my road to recovery. I am currently performing well and am confident that my current physical and mental health along with the more accessible course formatting will allow me to continue to do so.
This appeal is not an attempt to excuse a lack of effort, but rather a request for consideration and understanding of exceptional circumstances that severely impaired my ability to succeed in one course. I maintain a strong commitment to my studies and have learned through this experience to seek more comprehensive help where possible despite ever-changing situations.
Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
Brendan Joseph Kelly Ross
20268549
I am writing to formally appeal a late drop (DR) of MATH 120 Differential and Integral Calculus (Fall/Winter 2024/25) from my academic record due to extenuating circumstances during these academic terms.
In August 2024, I underwent surgery to repair chronic dislocations and subluxations of my left shoulder. This surgery carries a 4-6 month functional recovery time and up to 12 months full recovery time which left me in considerable physical pain and mental distress including concerns of reinjury, failed surgical repair and limited physical function requiring prolonged periods of immobilization throughout the academic term. As a result, this often impacted my ability to engage fully in daily and scholarly activities including but not limited to cooking, getting dressed, writing, typing and more. While coping with the effects of the initial surgery, I suffered another traumatic shoulder injury in February 2025 dislocating my right shoulder, with suspected rotator cuff damage, a torn AC joint, a torn labrum and nerve damage. This injury rendered my dominant hand completely immobilized for a mandatory time of 3 weeks and left it largely unfunctional beyond that for another 6 weeks where I underwent multiple imaging and medical appointments due to severe tendonosis, limited neuromuscular function, and suspected structural tears. During this time I experienced severe nerve and muscle pain that made it near impossible to complete basic tasks as I battled the road to recovery.
In combination, these injuries had a substantial impact not only on my physical ability to complete tasks in academic settings and everyday life but also on my mental health and academic confidence. I lost the ability to participate in exercise and other daily routines which form foundational aspects of health, mental health and well-being. Despite this, I made every effort to remain engaged in all my courses to the best of my abilities, earning good grades in all other courses. However, MATH 120 posed a unique challenge in its lecture and evaluation style that made it particularly difficult to compensate. Unlike my other course which entailed flexible, group and project-based work for many grade components, MATH 120 relied heavily on written practice, individual work, hand-written notes and cumulative written assessments. My inability to complete some assessments, paired with the challenge of practicing, taking notes and heavy reweighting of assessments made this course increasingly difficult to not only gauge my progress but also practice and improve my understanding of materials and their applications. Furthermore, I both underestimated and could not have anticipated the severity, and worsening effects of both the surgery and continuous reinjury of both my arms during this time, leading me to expect a recovery much sooner than was reality.
While I did seek accommodations through university channels, I now realize that I had significantly underestimated the effects of my injuries cumulatively and as such did not seek as much support as I truly needed. Despite this, I never requested to drop the course during the term as I believed in good faith that I could overcome these obstacles and pass the course. This decision, rooted in determination and perseverance ultimately worked against me as my circumstances continued to worsen throughout the terms.
Since the end of the winter term, my condition has steadily improved and I am currently taking the Life Sciences degree equivalent and recommended course MATH 121 over the summer to fill this gap in my degree plan. The addition of online resources, lectures and evaluations in this course paired with my improving condition has allowed me to engage more comprehensively in my academic duties during my road to recovery. I am currently performing well and am confident that my current physical and mental health along with the more accessible course formatting will allow me to continue to do so.
This appeal is not an attempt to excuse a lack of effort, but rather a request for consideration and understanding of exceptional circumstances that severely impaired my ability to succeed in one course. I maintain a strong commitment to my studies and have learned through this experience to seek more comprehensive help where possible despite ever-changing situations.
Thank you for considering my request.
Sincerely,
Brendan Joseph Kelly Ross
20268549