Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing for a credit standing of CHEM 112 and to drop the online courses ASTR 101 and CALC 121. I am also filing a late appeal to drop MATH 110 and ITLN 112.

Throughout the past academic year, I was unable to fully apply myself to my courses due to my severe decline in mental health. In November of 2015, I experienced debilitating low moods and low motivation. I struggled with suicidal and impulsive thoughts. I would frequently dissociate, feeling like ¿¿I wasn¿¿t in my own head¿. The low moods and motivation prevented me from being able to properly concentrate on coursework, often rendering me unable to attend class altogether. The suicidal thoughts kept me up very late at night, and it became increasingly difficult to focus or even stay awake in lectures and tutorials. When I would come home from classes, I would often lay in bed and hours would pass without notice. These dissociative episodes severely affected my studying, as when I tried to study during these periods, I would retain no information for a test or examination the following day. In February of 2016 I began seeing Freeman Woolnough, a residence counsellor to try and get better. I few days afterward, I was admitted to Kingston General Hospital on an attempt at my own life. I continued to see Mr. Woolnough, who referred me to see Dr. Billing to get a reference for psychiatric evaluation. I was then referred to Dr. McNevin who placed me on a waiting list for a group-therapy type course called ¿¿Managing Powerful Emotions¿. After dropping MATH 120, and failing MATH 110 and ITLN 112 as a result of my circumstances, I still wanted to be able to complete my undergrad within the usual 4 years. In the process of recovery, I now recognize that it is not a feasible for me to work 40 hours a week on top of two online courses, while still trying to recover from my mental illness.

For the following academic year, I will be re-taking the first year courses needed for my planned Major, but in place of MATH 120 and MATH 110 as I took in the last academic year, I will be opting for MATH 121 and MATH 111. This lighter course load will help in my recovery by alleviating the additional stress a higher level math course would bring. This will allow me to focus on each course equally, and ultimately achieve my goals for the next academic year. I will also be attending the aforementioned group therapy in the Fall to assist in improving my mental health. Throughout the past year, I have learned a lot about myself, and how I function as a student. This past year has shown me the steps I can take to prevent further failure and to be a better student. Should my appeal be approved, it would provide me with the opportunity to better succeed in my academic future. I still have a great passion for Physics, and would be very grateful the opportunity to continue studying what I love in such an established academic institution.


Thank you for your consideration,
Jenna MacDonald