Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am petitioning to drop CLST 204 (Fall, 2023) past the course-drop deadline.

I was unable to drop the course beforehand due to medical extenuating circumstances that worsened as the deadline approached. I had tested positive for COVID-19 on September 18, 2023, and was too unwell to return to class until September 25, 2023. Following the initial infection, I continued to have severe fatigue and brain fog that lasted several months past the course drop deadline. Initially I had not planned on dropping the course as I was starting to catch up on missed assignments in all my classes, but starting around October 15, 2023, my mental health started declining alongside severe side effects from changing prescriptions that lasted until late November. Between October 29 and November 5, I had 5 written assignments that were due for my other classes and trying to complete those alongside dealing with residual COVID-19 symptoms and prescription side effects made me unable to catch up on my coursework for CLST 204. The work for CLST 204 primarily involved memorizing large batches of new vocabulary each week alongside completing an online version of the course, whereas my other classes were based around written essays and assignments. The volume of memorization that I had to catch up on became too much for my mental and physical state, which I unfortunately only realized a few days after the course drop deadline.

Since completing the Fall 2023 semester, I have recovered from these symptoms. To achieve academic success following the loss of this credit, I have recently completed an online course (CLST 205 (Summer, 2024)) to make up for my lost grade and to satisfy the requirements for my Classics minor.

Please find attached a doctor’s note concerning these medical issues.

Thank you for your consideration.

David Hayman (student number: 20285144)