Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Academic Petitions Committee,

I am requesting a retroactive late course drop for the following courses that were scheduled in the fall/winter term in the academic year 2020-2021. Those course include HLTH 200 and CLST 205 taken in the fall of 2020. As well as ANAT 100, and CLST 203 taken in the winter of 2021.

I??d like to share that I was suppose to graduate in the spring of 2020, however a course I was required to finish to obtain my final three credits had been disrupted. After talking to an academic counsellor I had decided that it would be best to study for an additional year to obtain said credits, however I was also under the impression that my grades were suffering and to maintain a good GPA and get acceptance the masters program I wanted, I decided to take the course mentioned above.

While I thought I had a good plan ahead of me unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic had me at a disarray. The COVID-19 lockdown caused significant disruptions to my education, mental health, and financial stability which is why I??d like to retroactively drop the courses stated above. Those grades when I look at them, it does not reflect who I am as a student but it reminds me of the hardships faced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Having the university closures and going to online learning was difficult as it interrupted my learning process as I do better in person, but as well as the lack of access to the necessary resources and support. Resources and supports such has the Student Wellness Center, library was limiting and wait times to see a doctor or counsellors doubled, but also attempting to do online sessions with a counsellor was discouraging. The feeling of being completely disconnected from others plus having technical issues with audio and visual outputs was frustrating and disheartening.

Not only was there a disconnection that I felt from an educational standpoint, however due to the multiple lockdowns I was unable to see my immediate family for over a year and half due to the being in different cities, the cost of travel as well as the worry of potentially spreading to those who are immunocompromised. Not having regular social interactions impacted my mental health and increased the level stress and anxiety. The lockdown has led to an increase in stress and anxiety as I struggled to adapt to new learning environments, coping with isolation, and dealing with the uncertainty and unpredictability of the pandemic.

Unfortunately I suffered financial instability, as both I and my immediate family were unemployed. During the winter of 2021 it came to the point where I could only pay for rent, and need to either go to a food bank or skip meals. Unfortunately during the winter of 2021, I also endured an incident in which my lower back fully seized and I was rushed to the hospital. At that time they were unable to figure out what was going on however I was on bed rest for a couple of weeks and using a cane as the pain was excruciating, which led to the emergency back surgery I had December of 2022.

I was overwhelmed with the circumstances going on, and reminiscing about that time I can say it was as though I was shutting down and school was even more difficult to maintain. I was falling behind on school work, unable to complete assignment, I was in a state of falling down the rabbit hole and I didn??t know how to get out. That student was a product of many extenuating circumstances, however I the student I know I am is capable of more and don??t want the reflection of the 2020-2021 year define my academic future.

Thank you for your consideration