Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Deans of Studies of the Faculty of Arts and Science,

I write in appeal for ¿¿credit standing¿ status in the Winter 2018 course, COGS 400. While my weakness in the course was in part related to recurring mental health issues, which have in the past been manageable (to an extent), those problems compounded unanticipated and more severe problems which occurred during the semester.
I began my semester seriously depressed, however I have previously been able to push through my depression and complete my term with an acceptable outcome. As I was taking fewer courses this semester, I believed I would be able to repeat that outcome. However, already at the beginning of the semester, my depression was interfering with my sleep and ability to regularly attend class (previously, a surmountable issue). Personal issues which occurred during the semester, as well as my thesis and my research unrelated to the thesis, became all-consuming, to the extent that I was hardly leaving my desk. Following reading week, my stress and feared inability to meet deadlines were worsened by stress related to sociopolitical events on campus relating to my status as a transgender student. I attempted to recover following those events, however I was unable to either recover or catch up with my work, which had already fallen behind. By the time I had to finish the final project and study for my final test, I was still unrecovered and struggling to finish my thesis, thus failed to do the work I needed to perform either task to the degree that I needed to.
I should have asked for accommodation during the semester or dropped the course late, however my fear of an unforgiving response from my prof prevented me from asking for help early, and my reluctance to leave my project teammates behind mid-semester (as well as an inability to anticipate just how bad things would get) kept me from withdrawing before week 8. Following week 8, I was unaware that I could appeal for late withdrawal, I believed I could graduate if I finished that semester (otherwise I would have had to wait until next winter to reattempt the mandatory course; it turns out I need more credits anyway), and I was still unwilling to let my teammates down. I have obtained incompletes in two other courses (my thesis, and CISC 453), which I am in the midst of completing. I was able to speak with my supervisors and prof for the remaining course about accomodations and there were simply fewer deadlines that had already been missed by the time I knew I would be unable to complete those courses. I was able to complete my one remaining course, which had the lightest workload.
In order to continue attending school healthily and graduate in good standing, I have sought counselling with Student Wellness Services, and am seeking a prescription to manage my symptoms. In the coming year, I will only have to take a few more courses, and with luck, the lighter courseload and support will make for a better year, during which I will apply for graduate studies. I intend to reattempt COGS 400 in the coming winter semester and obtain a better grade, hence my appeal for ¿¿credit standing¿ status is for the sake of improving the chances of my applications once I have earned a better grade in the course, under more normal circumstances.

Thank you for your consideration,
Eilene