Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,


I am appealing to request credit standing in KNPE 225 (F 2018) and to late drop KNPE 251 (F 2018).

Last fall, my family and I experienced an extenuating circumstance that significantly affected both my physical and mental health. This has been a very traumatic experience for not only myself but for my immediate family members as well. Shortly after this had occurred in November, there was a sudden death in the family. These two events combined had an enormous impact on me and had severe repercussions to my mental and physical wellbeing. As a result of this, I was unable to participate to the best of my ability in my classes or other activities. This affected my ability to attend classes, patriciate in a large group, meet deadlines and my overall wellbeing. I felt physically sick to my stomach and extremely anxious when around other people, especially in large classrooms and public spaces. I was overwhelmed with grief and felt I was at one of the lowest moments of my life. I would wake up from nightmares and in some weeks would be unable to sleep for days at a time. During the end of Fall 2018 I felt completely alone and did not feel I could reach out to family members for support. Being very far from home during this time made things even more difficult and I was not able to grieve with my mother and family during this traumatic time.

Last Fall I had a very significant surgery that I am still recovering from both physically and mentally. I have been accessing both counselling and occupational therapy services at Student Wellness Services along with other resources to be myself again. I am learning to talk about these experiences and develop strategies in order to learn how to tackle problems in the future and how to not allow grief to consume my life. I have registered with QSAS and am booking follow-up appointments with them for later this month. They have put into place some accommodations that will assist me with the writing of exams. I have taken on a reduced course load which has been very beneficial to me and an effective strategy in meeting academic expectations while focusing on my wellness. The events that occurred this year only made my recovery from last year that much more difficult and made it very difficult for me to reach out and get the help I needed. I completely isolated from family members and friends, felt little to no self-worth and retracted from a lot of daily activities I would have normally enjoyed.

You will notice on my transcript I performed better in the KNPE 265 course. The reason for this being that many of the assignments were online based and I was able to complete the coursework at home without worry of panic attacks or distractions in the larger classroom. Although my condition made me unable to participate to my best of my ability in all classes, the nature of the online components of KNPE 265 made it easier for me to complete coursework. The state of my health made it very difficult for me to function as I normally would and made it hard for me to obtain the health I needed. I did not drop the KNPE 251 course in time as I was hoping my condition would improve but I did not predict the sudden passing of my family friend which did not occur until after the drop date deadline.

Moving forward I am trying to put myself in a better position for success by meeting with counselling, my QSAS accessibility advisor, my occupational therapist Natasha DeGroot as well as Dr. Stephanie Butt. I have been receiving treatment for this condition and have been learning and practicing better strategies to overcome the trauma I have experienced in the last two years. I am hopeful for the future and eager to put my best self forward inside and outside the classroom this coming year.

As indicated above in this letter, my academic performance and my wellness do seem to improve when completing courses and assignments in an online environment. I have met with academic advisors in the kinesiology department, arts and science faculty as well as the health science faculty to discuss potentially switching from kinesiology to health sciences in order to take all online courses. This will allow me to spend more time at home in Toronto with my support system including friends and family and reduce my anxiety in large classrooms. I have been in contact with my family doctor at home and am hoping to seek counselling and treatment in my home area to effectively manage my wellness.

Supporting documentation to support this document will be provided by my occupational therapist, Natasha DeGroot. This will be sent directly to the faculty office.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Kind Regards,
Victoria