Petition Letter
Undergraduate Academic Appeals Committee
Queen¿¿s University
Kingston, Ontario
April 30, 2018
Dear Committee Members,
I write to request an appeal of an exercise of discretion regarding the general rule that overall grades are rounded up by 0.5. I respectfully request rounding up by 0.01 more than is standard.
In the course, Physiology 214, my final grade is currently 84.49. If it were rounded up by 0.51 then I would receive two As on my transcript because this is a full year course.
The arguments in favour of rounding up by 0.51 from 84.49 to 85.0 are:
1. In this course, I have improved significantly. I earned 79 on the first mid-term and the first final (in December) and then 90 on the second midterm and the second final exam.
2. I completed this academic year without interruption despite hardship. I lost my friend Josie to suicide in October, my friend Morghan to complications of diabetes in January and then my friend Spencer, in early March also to suicide. My parents wondered if perhaps I should take a break from school, but I decided to try to do my best to finish the academic year (and am relieved that it is over).
Here is evidence of these deaths:
Josie http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/obituary.aspxnjosephine-wearmouth&pid187170272&fhid5944
Morghan https://www.hannafuneral.ca/notices/Morghan-Krieger
Spencer http://www.mhfh.com/dial-spencer-terence/
Here are pictures of me with Josie and Morghan and a picture that I took of Spencer and other friends at our Grade 12 graduation: https://www.dropbox.com/s/u9i38dzsf1kdyew/Mary-Claire20Verbeke20-20photos20with20Josie2C20Morghan.2020Spencer.docxdl0
3. When I asked the Course Coordinator, Professor Van Vugt if he would exercise discretion to round up my grade 0.01 more than is standard, he responded that it would not be fair to other students to do so. This response is based on the assumption that student circumstances are otherwise equal. Students who did not grieve the loss of any friends are not in the same circumstances as a student who lost three friends. I did not ask for any delays or favours in this course because of these losses even though I suffered significantly and missed some classes which I had to make up to travel to Spencer's funeral. If the Course Coordinator were to ask my fellow students in the class if they thought it is unfair to round up by 0.01 more than usual in my case, given my circumstances, I think that most students would agree, given the small request and the seriousness of the circumstances, that granting the request would be fair to all concerned.
Thank you very much for considering my appeal.
With best wishes,
Mary-Claire Verbeke
Student Number: 10212027
Queen¿¿s University
Kingston, Ontario
April 30, 2018
Dear Committee Members,
I write to request an appeal of an exercise of discretion regarding the general rule that overall grades are rounded up by 0.5. I respectfully request rounding up by 0.01 more than is standard.
In the course, Physiology 214, my final grade is currently 84.49. If it were rounded up by 0.51 then I would receive two As on my transcript because this is a full year course.
The arguments in favour of rounding up by 0.51 from 84.49 to 85.0 are:
1. In this course, I have improved significantly. I earned 79 on the first mid-term and the first final (in December) and then 90 on the second midterm and the second final exam.
2. I completed this academic year without interruption despite hardship. I lost my friend Josie to suicide in October, my friend Morghan to complications of diabetes in January and then my friend Spencer, in early March also to suicide. My parents wondered if perhaps I should take a break from school, but I decided to try to do my best to finish the academic year (and am relieved that it is over).
Here is evidence of these deaths:
Josie http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/obituary.aspxnjosephine-wearmouth&pid187170272&fhid5944
Morghan https://www.hannafuneral.ca/notices/Morghan-Krieger
Spencer http://www.mhfh.com/dial-spencer-terence/
Here are pictures of me with Josie and Morghan and a picture that I took of Spencer and other friends at our Grade 12 graduation: https://www.dropbox.com/s/u9i38dzsf1kdyew/Mary-Claire20Verbeke20-20photos20with20Josie2C20Morghan.2020Spencer.docxdl0
3. When I asked the Course Coordinator, Professor Van Vugt if he would exercise discretion to round up my grade 0.01 more than is standard, he responded that it would not be fair to other students to do so. This response is based on the assumption that student circumstances are otherwise equal. Students who did not grieve the loss of any friends are not in the same circumstances as a student who lost three friends. I did not ask for any delays or favours in this course because of these losses even though I suffered significantly and missed some classes which I had to make up to travel to Spencer's funeral. If the Course Coordinator were to ask my fellow students in the class if they thought it is unfair to round up by 0.01 more than usual in my case, given my circumstances, I think that most students would agree, given the small request and the seriousness of the circumstances, that granting the request would be fair to all concerned.
Thank you very much for considering my appeal.
With best wishes,
Mary-Claire Verbeke
Student Number: 10212027