Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Thomas Murphy, 3rd year Biochemistry Major and I am presenting this appeal with the purpose of seeking credit standing (CR) in Biochemistry 316 ¿¿ Metabolism, which I took in the Winter 2017 semester.



March 12th 2017 marked the night of the final show of the Vogue Charity Fashion Show, a show that I performed in and upon completion, I joined the rest of the cast and crew in celebrating at the Spot Nightclub. While I was there, I was taken outside by two of the bouncers and brutally assaulted, resulting in a broken nose, two black eyes, and inexplicable amounts of mental and emotional pain.



Ever since the age of 16, I have suffered from (diagnosed) severe anxiety and depression and I am on medication to treat the symptoms of these conditions. My baseline anxiety levels are already elevated from levels of the average person, making me prone to debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, and ensuing depression. For the most part, I am able to cope with these negative feelings and emotions, through cognitive therapy, medication, and self awareness, allowing me to succeed academically.



The timing of this incident could not have come at a worse time, as the amount of emotional pain sustained from this event was debilitating. I experienced nightmares for the two weeks after the event and barely went to class as my elevated anxiety made it difficult to leave my house. I spent time going to doctors appointments trying to determine the extent of my injuries, having my nose reset, going to the police station to press charges, and engaging a lawyer to weigh my legal options. While all of this was happening, my mental health was suffering and I did not realize at the time that I was on the verge of a collapse.



My mother got involved and contacted the school, eventually getting in touch with Roxy Denniston-Stewart, who was kind enough to say I would be eligible to receive academic accommodations if needed. I tried to tough it out and push through this tough time, not taking up the offer of academic accommodation. This was clearly a mistake as the rest of the semester was turbulent in regards to my mental health. My anxiety levels were consistently higher than normal, sometimes getting so bad that I did not go to class. I tried my hardest to keep up with the work but it proved difficult because I felt burnt out, powerless, and unable to focus all resulting from my assault.



I was able to get through most of the end of the semester and exam period without having any major episodes, yet towards the end of the exam period, I hit a wall. My second last exam was on April 24th, giving me two days before my last exam, Biochemistry 316 on April 26th. I had been studying for this exam and I knew the material, but when I got home on April 24th, I started to study, at which point I completely shut down. For the next two days until my final exam, I was a completely useless, anxious wreck, unable to study and unable to focus. I felt sick to my stomach and I must have been on the phone with my mother at least ten times, crying, stating how I was going to fail, my GPA would be ruined, and I would not be able to make it into medical school. I have never been so distraught in my life and when it came time to write my exam, I was so burnt out, anxious, and mentally incapacitated that I was unable to perform.



I can say with certainty that this event, happening a mere four weeks before my exams severely impacted my academic performance and led to this mental breakdown, causing me to do much more poorly on my final exam than I would have otherwise. Besides this mark, my academic performance over the course of my entire undergrad and especially this year has been generally much higher than this, and I am distressed that this one mark could break my third year average, which I worked so hard to improve and cultivate.



With due respect, I am now requesting an academic accommodation to receive credit standing in Biochemistry 316. If you have any further questions, you may speak to my mother, my doctor, the police, my lawyer, my roommates and friends.



Thank you.