Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am appealing in order to drop three courses, two of which took place in the fall and the other, this past summer. At the start of the fall semester, a family member became very ill, very quickly. A large part of my family dynamic is putting aside prior commitments in order to support family members. The illness spread very fast and took over a large part of my life. Commuting between home and school was a must and took up a large part of my week and weekends. Visits to the doctor as well as well as long hours in waiting rooms interrupted my normal school schedule. I was able to reach out to TAs and professors throughout my courses however, deadlines were still missed as I was very overwhelmed.

I understand that the deadline for this submission was April 30th, however, the illness quickly worsened in March, just as covid-19 truly began. Managing doctors¿¿ appointments, taking the necessary precautions, as well as finishing my courses became very difficult

I struggle with severe mental health concerns that have been a burden to me over the past few years. I needed to put that aside in order to help my family. Unfortunately, my family member passed away at the end of May and due to religious rituals as well as corona virus restrictions, it was very difficult to organize the funeral and get everything in order.

I understand that these are difficult times, and everyone is facing new challenges. I am also aware that over these past few years I have not always been able to rise to the occasion due to my mental health. I am attempting to graduate at the end of the year and move forward. As there are now less obligations at home, I am hoping to give all of my attention to the courses I am taking, and to finishing my degree successfully

Thank you very much for your understanding and consideration.
Tamara Beck (20060656)