Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Studies,

Hello, my name is Julia Kondor, however I go by Max Kondor. I am a 3rd year philosophy major with a minor in gender studies. My student number is 20060729. I am writing to you because I would like to ask to be allowed to appeal for a late drop from my Science Fiction and Fantasy (GNDS 335) course from Fall 2019. I am making this appeal due to the fact that during the time I attended the course, I ended up suffering due to extenuating circumstances involving my physical health. I was in the hospital from October 7th to October 12th due to a severe case of Jaundice caused by Mononucleosis (Mono). The reason I did not drop the GNDS 335 class before the drop date is due to the fact that I was corresponding with my professor, and we were both under the impression that I would be okay to continue the class. Unfortunately, I was ill for longer than expected, and I received an email from my professor on the last date to drop classes that I should remove the class. Unfortunately, this was the one date that I was unable to check my emails. My professor, Dr. Jane Tolmie, has said that she supports my decision to apply for a late term drop. I understand that I am writing this after the end of the course, which I have chosen to do so that I may first focus on catching up with the two courses I was able to complete.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would allow me to drop this course, as I know that it does not reflect what I am capable of. Professor Tolmie also believes it would be best for this class to be dropped, and I hope that you will understand. I have worked very hard in the courses that I was able to complete, and I am normally on top of my studies. Getting this ill was not something I predicated, and I had no way of telling when I would get better, as well, I was under the impression that I would be able to work with the professor, and receiving the email on the last date to drop the course did not give me enough time to look at the email and respond accordingly, as if I had seen the email in time, I would have listened to her advice. Below I have attached a timeline of the events.


Timeline of Events:
September 22nd to October 3rd I was able to continue to attend school, however, I was beginning to notice that I was not feeling my best, with the symptoms of extreme fatigue and muscle aches which I chalked up to my own mental health issues and the fact that I was also working part time. I reached out to outside support and was able to continue to participate comfortably in classes.

October 4th to October 6th I began to feel increasingly unwell and was unable to attend my Friday class due to severe pain in my abdomen. I was unable to attend work on the Saturday, and decided to speak to a doctor on Monday, as I already had an appointment with student wellness regarding accommodations

October 7th I was nearly unable to leave my bed, and Ubered to student wellness. I spoke to Jay Harris, and then proceeded to then speak to the doctor on campus. By this point I was extremely pale and yellow, and was in so much pain I could not move. I proceeded to go to Hotel Dieu, where they diagnosed me with Jaundice. I was later discharged but began to suffer once more and ended up in KGH.

October 8th to 12th I remained in KGH from the night of October 7th to the 12th when I was discharged. During this time, I was getting far worse, and it was only on the Saturday that tests for mono came back as positive. Due to the fact that I had no tonsils, I did not experience the traditional throat pains, and thus ended up pushing myself physically thinking I was fine. By this time, I had reached out to accommodations, and emailed all my professors.

October 13th to November 1st I remained in Toronto. I was unable to do much other than sleep and eat. However, I was still in communication with my professors, one of which was Professor Tolmie. During this time, Professor Tolmie said that she would help me in catching up. This changed on November 1st, when I received an email from her stating that I would be better off dropping the course. This was the last date to drop courses, and due to being under the impression that I was fine to continue her course once I returned to Kingston, I failed to check my emails. I was only able to see the email the next day, thus leaving me unable to drop the course.

November 3rd I was back in Kingston, and I began to resume the two classes I was still able to complete.