Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

My name is Patrick Hoy (Student No. 05106675) and I am submitting this appeal to request the waiving of the petition deadline in order to be able to submit a further appeal relating to requesting a Pass or AG grade for HIST 462 (taken in Winter 2020, a term impacted by COVID-19), and relating to late-dropping three courses taken in 2021 (HST 270, HIST 211 and SOCY 122). Because of medical-related extenuating circumstances my academic performance in these courses was negatively impacted and I have been unable to submit these petitions until now.

I have a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder as well as a number of other comorbidities (Ulcerative Colitis, ADHD, OCD and Generalized Anxiety) which have an ongoing impact on my academic performance. In 2019 I was hospitalized for four months due to severe depression and remained in Kingston General Hospital and subsequently Providence Care from September to January 2020. Upon release I enrolled in HIST 462, and despite my ongoing issues with bipolar-related depression I initially was performing well in terms of seminar participation and essay grades. However as COVID-19 began to impact the school year, and it became clear that in-person seminars would stop and I would have to return to a state of isolation, my depression intensified, impacting my school performance and resulting in a grade of D- in HIST 462. My illness was debilitating to the point that I was unable to submit a request for Pass standing or AG standing in the course at the time. It is my understanding that due to the impact of COVID-19 on their performance during this semester other students were able to receive a mark of “Pass” on their transcripts for specific courses.

My severe difficulties with Bipolar Disorder continued through to 2021, at which time my depression shifted into a severe and prolonged manic episode. I enrolled in HIST 289 and HIST 270 in Summer 2021 yet was manic for the duration of these courses and beyond, culminating in a psychotic episode for which I was hospitalized once again. I did manage to complete HIST 289 but was unable to complete my assignments for HIST 270, or for HIST 211 or SOCY 122 after I was released from hospital. My manic state continued for the duration of the Fall 2021 term, interspersed with periods of severe depression.

Just before Christmas Day 2021, my father passed away and my depression once again intensified to the point that I was hospitalized in January 2022. This hospitalization at Ontario Shores lasted for three months and involved regular sessions of electro-convulsive therapy which continued for months after I was discharged.

Throughout the remainder of 2022 and 2023, and into 2024 I have been engaged in a gradual process of recovery from these long periods of mental illness. It was only in recent weeks that I felt well enough to consider returning to school in Fall 2024, and to submit appeals to address my academic performance in these courses.

Attached is supporting documentation for this appeal from my family doctor, Dr. Anthony Stone.

Should this appeal requesting to waive the petition deadline be granted, I will submit an additional appeal to specifically request Pass or AG standing in HIST 462, as well as to late-drop HIST 270, HIST 211 and SOCY 122.

Thank you for your consideration,

Patrick Hoy (Student No. 5106675)