Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am submitting this appeal to drop my Winter 2015 courses as follows: ARTF 228 (Intermediate Fine Art II); ARTH 215 (Renaissance Art post-1500); ARTH 228 (Histories of Contemporary Art); and ENGL 200A and 200B (History of Literature in English).

Due to unforeseen extenuating circumstances, namely an ongoing struggle with clinical depression, I was unable to fully perform my academic responsibilities during this past winter semester. I had begun to fight a mild onset of general melancholy and malaise at the beginning of the Fall 2014 semester, but once the Winter 2015 semester began in January, the problem became more pronounced and persistent, though I was unable to recognize it as symptoms of depression at the time. As a result of my mental health deterioration, I performed poorly in all of my courses.

As of the date of writing, I continue to struggle with this serious psychological challenge, and am currently under medical and psychological care of professionals, who have also provided documentation as to the duration and current state of my mental health.

The depression manifested itself in several significant ways which gravely affected my academic performance: during much of winter semester, but culminating in March and April 2015, I found myself unable to get out of bed, much less leave my residence or attend lectures; I found my decision-making abilities impacted, which contributed to missing important course evaluations, as well as being unable to decide on the best course of action regarding my academic progression; finally, my unstable mental health took a toll on my physical health as well, which meant that I was unable to adequately carry on with normal life, including managing my appetite, maintaining simple household chores, and most importantly, attending to my academic responsibilities. These difficulties persist even as I sought medical and psychological treatment this past summer, such that I was unable to begin this process of appeals until now.

Should my appeal to drop the Winter 2015 courses be granted, I intend to retake them with no academic penalty in the future, if and when my mental health is stable enough for me to resume my education. Furthermore, I have discussed with my healthcare professionals, as well as my family, and I will be taking a leave of absence from the school, during which time I will continue to undergo treatment with my physician and psychologist, as well as exploring other therapeutic methods. If and when I am able to resume, I will submit a Return to Studies Form to re-enter the program. I will also continue to explore and consider other options to complete my undergraduate education, whether through a change of program, decreasing my course load, or even distance studies or transfer credits in the worst-case scenario that I am unable to return to Kingston on a long-term basis.