Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Dr. Dorit Naaman,

I am petitioning to drop STAT 263 (Fall 2025), and request credit standing for CISC 121, PHIL 251, and MATH 112 (Fall 2025).

During the examination period of Fall 2025, I experienced an intense period of anxiety. I am registered with QSAS- one of the conditions listed being anxiety. I realized that most of my examinations and final projects were within the same week, and reached out to my QSAS advisor in order to hopefully defer some of my exams or extend deadlines. However, my advisor was only able to respond a week afterwards, and we were only able to connect after the end of the fall term (so deferring exams/assignment due dates was no longer an option).

I am requesting a credit standing for CISC 121, in which I achieved a grade of D-, since I was unable to submit my final project due to extenuating circumstances. My QSAS advisor and I attempted to see if I could submit the final project after the end of the term, but my professor let me know that would not be possible. I am requesting a credit standing for this course specifically due to a minimum grade of C- or CR being required in this course as a prerequisite for future computing courses.

Additionally, two of my other courses (PHIL 251, MATH 112) during Fall 2025 suffered in similar manners due to this circumstance.

I am requesting to drop STAT 263, in which I achieved a grade of F. The two major assessments in this course were the midterm exam and the final exam. Since I was unable to write the final exam or to get it deferred in time, my grade was not high enough to pass the course. I remained in the course throughout the semester as I did not anticipate to go through this extenuating circumstance. I was expecting to write the final exam throughout the semester.

I am continuously working on managing my anxiety so that these circumstances do not occur in the future. After connecting with my QSAS advisor this winter term, we implemented an accommodation that would prevent assessments from being scheduled within 48 hours of each other, since my symptoms worsened when I had back-to-back assessments. I was also given an email template requesting an assessment deferral that would help me to reach out to my professors, since I was not able to reach out to them at the time due to my heightened symptoms. I have also connected with a psychotherapist since, beginning this January, with the goal of managing my symptoms in volatile/crisis situations by building/practicing coping mechanisms and building a plan for future periods of heightened stress, as well as managing the symptoms of my mental health disability in general. Prior to Winter 2026, I was unable to find a psychotherapist or readily-available therapy due to long wait list times & a lack of affordable long-term therapy options. However, I now have access to long-term support for my disability, which I believe has had and will continue to have a positive effect on my academic performance in the future.

I have attached letters from my psychotherapist and QSAS advisor, as well as the email I wrote to my QSAS advisor in December 2025, as documentation for my petition.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best Regards,

Diza Sidana