Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: June 26, 2019



Re: Appeal for missing June 11, 2019 deadline for appeals ¿¿ Kevin Baker ID 20099735


My name is Kevin Baker and I am a first year Arts & Science student. I am on academic probation for failing classes, and pending this appeal, I am being forced to take a year off school before reapplying.

I intend to appeal this decision by the faculty for ¿¿extenuating circumstances,¿ but first I will need to appeal the deadline that I missed on June 11th to apply for these ¿¿extenuating circumstances.¿

It is important for arbitrators to understand how I arrived at this difficult situation. As a first-year student living alone in Vic Hall I found the first semester very challenging, but those challenges only grew as the year progressed. It was unclear to me at the time why I was struggling and could not concentrate for tests, I couldn¿¿t read for extended periods of time and fell behind on assignments and I developed anxiety that forced me to miss many classes. I had never experienced this before and it was very debilitating at times. I reached out to the wellness centre but the wait times were huge and I gave up. Things continued to get worse throughout the term. In November 2018 I returned home for help and was diagnosed with severe depression and mood disorder by my Toronto Doctor. He immediately placed me on treatment. (initial diagnosis letter attached)

Medications to treat this illness are extremely unpredictable as I have discovered. These mediations often take months to regulate and can cause serious side effects. I did start to feel better initially in December and I decide to stick it out and stay at school. In hindsight this may not have been the most prudent decision because I suffered a number of setbacks and had to change the medication in January. For the past several months I have been trying to regulate new medications and for the first time in many months have finally started to feel good AND look forward to returning to school. My doctor and I feel we have finally landed on the right treatment. More importantly we have a plan in place to manage this illness going forward which includes medication, counselling, managing my work load and physical exercise.

When you are dealing with this kind of illness I have learned that you need to take one day at a time and planning for the future really isn¿¿t an option when you struggle with these kinds of things. I was prepared to apply for the extenuating circumstances but in early June the I was adjusting to new medication and struggling. I feel terrible that I missed this deadline but the great news is that after 8 long months of trying different medications and dosages I feel great today and more importantly I feel equipped to manage any possible future set back. (although we feel I now have the right treatment under control). I am now 100 ready to come back and I will appeal for extenuating circumstances if given the chance. I believe I will be a role model student if given the chance to succeed now that I am fully prepared for the coming school year.

Of course, I will provide all documentation needed for the either appeal.


Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you so I can start planning for the coming year

Sincerely,

Kevin Baker