Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Benard:
I am a first year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Arts and Science. I am appealing to drop POLS 110 (6.0 units, Fall 2016/Winter 2017) without academic penalty due to extenuating circumstances. I have not received any verbal or written feedback concerning my performance in this course, or any other course that I am currently enrolled.

I have experienced considerable mental health problems that have caused me serious difficulties in attending class and completing my assigned work for the Winter Term. I had felt extreme duress prior to the Christmas break and was not in great shape when I returned for Winter Term. The problems accelerated in January 2017, with the hospitalization of a close family member experiencing an acute life-threatening illness, and have now reached a point of grave impact on my successful completion of my current course load. The degree of daily stress and anxiety is at a level that I have never experienced before and has led to an extreme disturbance in my sleep patterns that impacts on my attendance and ability to focus in class or doing assigned work in my room. Many days I am overwhelmed and experience panic attacks. I have tried to rectify these problems by myself but without success.

I am requesting that I be able to drop POLS 110 in order to successfully complete my remaining courses. This is an elective course that will not be necessary to complete my planned program of study. The second term has a level of difficulty and volume of work that I will not be able to successfully grasp and achieve a passing grade in my current state. Any ongoing efforts to attempt this challenge will reduce my ability to be successful in my other course work. My intention is to Major in Economics, which requires completion of Economics 110 and a first year Calculus course, both of which I am currently enrolled. I need to focus my full efforts on achieving passing grades in these courses in order to enroll in second year Economics courses. My remaining course, HLTH 102, includes material that I generally understand and feel able to work towards successful completion of course work and preparation for final examination.

My plan to ensure future academic success will be to enroll in a manageable course load. I will actively seek out academic support from TAs when I recognize I am struggling. I will figure out whether I am eligible to register with Accessibility Services in order to qualify for accommodations. Most importantly, I will obtain the care that is necessary to help me improve my mental health and develop better coping skills during times of anticipated stress. I am hopeful these positive actions will help me to successfully achieve an undergraduate degree.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this heartfelt request.
Sincerely,

Matt Young