¶ … Dean

I'm writing as a follow-up to my letter to Dean Geiger, dated ____. I believe Professor James Cameron incorrectly assigned a grade of 'E' for my work in his class, and I urge you to consider my arguments below.

First and foremost, I believe Professor Cameron had a duty to present the matter to the dean of the department and conduct and investigation before assigning me a failing grade sua sponte. The student handbook and the university's policies dictate this procedure in writing. Professor Cameron, however, acted on his own in determining that my actions violated the school's honor code without consulting the dean or commissioning an investigation as per his duties.

Second, one of the reasons Professor Cameron cites in support of failing me was my mistake in omitting citations to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in my take-home exam. My omission was just that: a mistake. I misunderstood the nature of the exam: As a short-answer take home, I did not believe that citation was necessary, and made an honest mistake - one that I shall not repeat - in failing to cite. There was no ill-intent or mens rea on my part leading to an honor code violation.

And finally, I simply did not collaborate with anyone in my class to construct any of the answers. I cannot stress that enough: I think that is precisely the purpose of the meeting with the dean and the investigation. An investigation would find unequivocally that I did not collaborate with anyone. As an added proof, if my intention were to improperly collaborate, I surely would not have chosen my peers: As a professional in the field, there are many other sources to whom I could have gone for improper help.

In conclusion, it is my fervent belief that I do not deserve the failing grade, and I urge you, as an academic representative of the Institute, to ask Professor Cameron to follow the proper procedures and arrange a meeting with the dean of his department and commission an investigation before failing me.

I'm confident that such measures will exonerate me fully.

Yours sincerely