Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing the grades I received in two of my first term classes, ENGL 274 (Fall, 2015), and ENGL 258 (Fall, 2015) for which I received a C and C+ respectively. I am not appealing the grades in my other courses because they are full year courses and have not been graded yet.
In June 2015 I began to feel serious pain in my stomach and nausea that affected my daily life. It greatly affected my ability to do my job during the summer and I saw multiple doctors while trying to figure out what was wrong. I was told that I had a stomach ulcer but after months of treatment nothing had changed. I continued to see doctors in Kingston and had multiple tests done but the results came back negative. Eventually my doctor and therapist told me that the stomach issues might be related to anxiety and depression, which I have struggled with for many years. These problems greatly affected my academics in the Fall 2015 semester. I felt so sick all the time that I was forced to stay at home and miss many classes. I missed quizzes that influenced my grades in ENGL 274, and lost out on participation marks in ENGL 258. I also generally missed a great deal of course material in both classes, which affected my exam performance. In the exam period, an especially stressful time, I could not leave my house to study with classmates or meet with my professors and TA¿¿s to discuss exam material. The illness was so bad I could barely get out of bed to study without vomiting multiple times each day. In November I realized that the physical issues were connected to my mental health issues and attempted to seek medication. However, it is not easy to get medication for anxiety and depression if you ask for it, so it was not until late December that I began taking an anti-depressant.
Since I started the medication in December I have gradually been feeling better and better. The day I started taking it I stopped vomiting and now I am able to leave my house, go to the gym, and go to class. I have been to all of my classes so far this semester (excluding the first week as I was still in Toronto seeing my doctor) and have been able to study and do my readings properly. I feel healthier and happier now. Should this appeal be granted, I will continue to work hard and attend all my classes as I have done before I became ill. I will also continue to see my personal therapist, which will help me deal with stress and anxiety in the future.

Thank you for considering my appeal, Ted Boyle