Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,

My name is Jaewoong Moon, a fourth year neuroscience specialization student in the life sciences department. I am appealing to obtain a credit standing for BIOL350: Evolution and Human Affairs, a course that I took the Fall of 2015.

The reason that I am appealing for this class far after the 2015 fall semester is because I have been going through a mental health crisis and had to take a leave of absence in the winter semester of 2016. Only now, as I confirm my return with an Arts and Sciences academic advisor, I feel that it is necessary to appeal. In many ways the C- that I received for this course was the beginning signs that I should take a break from my academics. Seeing my overall transcript, this particular grade stands out as it is not representative of my ability. During the Fall semester of 2015, I have gone through a medication switch in my antidepressants from Ciprolex to Trintillex. I found this particularly difficult to acclimatize to, as I felt constantly tense, jittery, and on edge. This has rendered the semester a struggle to find my reference point as I felt more emotionally unstable. I was able to achieve an A in Semiotics (LLCU 200) because I particularly enjoyed this course, and I was told by the Donato, the professor, that I was very good in the course. Immunology (MICR 360) was a rote-memorization course and though I struggled to pay attention, I was able to achieve a B. For the course in which I am appealing (BIOL 350), I found it very difficult to attend lectures and study the material. The exam composed of a series of long answer questions for which I couldn¿¿t answer properly due to the thickness of the material expected to be understood, on top of my inability to maintain focus during class and motivational issues.

Reasoning within a greater scope, I have been dealing with depressive issues since high school and this has been gradually getting worse each year. I have previously applied for an aggerotat standing for a few courses at the end of my third year for similar reasons. I believe that the fall term of 2015 was the critical point of my depressive issues that were aggravated with the medication change. Now I see these depressive symptoms as being elemental to a greater mental illness. I have been diagnosed with an unknown depressive disorder with traits of borderline personality disorder and potential attention hyperactivity disorder.

At the end of this semester, I have directly confronted my concerns regarding my mental health and have been psychologically assessed by a doctor McNevin at the Providence Care Personality Disorders Clininc. Though I was disturbed to a certain degree regarding the diagnosis, I wished to overcome the illness from within - through meditation and increasing my self-awareness by understanding my past and how it influences me now. I have since then been to a therapist in Calgary for mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural therapy and have been meditating daily. Returning to school with a more resilient and understood mind, my future plan is thus to finish the degree with more tact. I feel that the break that I took was pivotal for the understanding of the self and I am returning more focused and motivated. Though I am not clear on my future plans, I wish to involve myself in neurotech firms and complete a master¿¿s degree in a relevant field.

Jaewoong Moon