Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: December 1st, 2023
Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I experienced a devastating medical diagnosis in my second year of university which led to me withdrawing from school and seeking urgent medical treatment in Canada and the States. Over the next several years the associated trauma led to horrific mental health status, which overtook my life and brought me to the edge regarding my ability to carry on and cope with life. Unfortunately, COVID arrived on the heels of this devastating time, severely impacting my mental and physical health even further.
I am writing to ask for appeal consideration of the F’s on my transcript, due to the extreme health situation which affected me profoundly over the last several years. The physical impact of the medical diagnosis, combined with the devastating effects on my mental health, led to an exponential crisis which became all-encompassing. COVID unfortunately added to the magnitude of the medical and mental health crises I was experiencing. This resulted in a paralysis regarding any ability to move forward combined with an irrational inner voice that was ever present for me to live up to the potential I held for my life. This led to me constantly re-enrolling in classes that I was not in any capacity able to complete. As the rest of the world restarted and resumed their post COVID lives , I remained stuck in a self-destructive cycle which took me to the worst places one can visit.
With much care, support, and hard work, I experienced a turning transition over the course of the summer with my medical and mental health and began tentative steps toward movement again: physically, mentally, and academically. I am nearing the successful culmination of five courses this term and look forward to completing five additional courses next session. One last course in the spring will provide me with all the courses required for graduating, a goal I feared would never happen.
As I have become healthier and stronger again, I am assessing the devastation left in the wake of the last years. I am heartbroken at the number of F’s on my transcript, which occurred not from the courses being above my intellectual abilities or from indifference to withdrawal policies, but truly as a result of operating in a mental haze of disability. I was alternating between trying to push myself and sinking in quicksand, not being of sound mind enough to recognize the reality and withdraw from courses. I am desperate to try to rebuild the life I imagined, full of promise and potential. Today I am standing again and moving forward, out of the trauma of my medical crises and the pandemic’s impact.
I delayed sending this letter of appeal until I felt confident about my medical and mental health improvements which then led to my successful academic term. It was only after I felt strong enough to take on this appeal that I discovered the moratorium for appeal deadlines which was in effect for COVID was no longer in effect. I ask for your sincere consideration.
Respectfully,
Maeve Hildebrand