Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to appeal my grades in the following courses: POLS 264 (2019 Winter); POLS 101 (2019 Winter), and; POLS 243 (2018 Fall). I am also requesting that the deadline for appeals be waived to allow for these failing grades to be converted into DR status.

I would like to discuss the circumstances of my past academic underperformance and how I have sought to address them moving forward.

I have been recovering from a tumultuous year of upheavals that has further exasperated an already stressful life. I suffer from a number of chronic illnesses that often make daily tasks difficult. Some of these are physical conditions, but most are mental illnesses. For as long as I can remember, I have experienced chronic depression, bouts of overwhelming anxiety, gender dysphoria, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention-deficit issues, and deeply-ingrained emotional imbalances.

I presently take eight different prescription medications (as well as several over-the-counter supplements that I find essential to the maintenance of my health) and I attend many forms of clinical therapy on a weekly basis. Finally coming to terms with my transgender identity and beginning my medical transition in 2018 has set me on a path to long-term happiness and stability. However, the social turmoil of a public gender transition in adulthood has been very taxing.

While the social cost of transition has been high, the financial impact has engulfed much of my energy. Besides one particular procedure that I have not yet received, our public health care system does not offer any assistance for medical transitions. As a result, I have had to maintain full-time employment throughout recent study periods to cover my extraordinary medical costs.

My family situation is also very stressful. I was raised in poverty by a single mother, and the recent loss of my grandfather¿¿the man who raised me¿¿has been devastating. I now have only two (presumably) living relatives: my mother and my uncle, her brother. My mother's criminal and civil defense issues that were foisted upon me in recent years have been a constant source of hardship. Most recently, my uncle became a missing person in western Canada earlier this year after apparently burning down the abandoned hotel in which he was squatting, which created a significant environmental disaster in the region.

The winter of discontent in my life has been long and exhausting, but the first green
shoots of change have arrived. The chaos in my personal life has shown signs of
abating, my symptoms of illness have distinctly receded, and I have reached a point of
stability that will make it much easier to fulfill my academic potential in the coming
year. By utilizing community and social assistance mechanisms available to me, I am
confident that I will rebound from a bad year and thrive going forward.

I have attached a supporting document from Dr. Simon O'Brien¿¿of whom I have been
a psychiatric patient since 2013¿¿to validate my claims of medical hardship.

I hope to hear from you in due course.

Warm regards,
Chloe Elizabeth Draeger