Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic) Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am appealing to drop PSYC 301 (Fall, 2020). Extenuating circumstances beyond my control, including the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact my mental health, have directly affected my academic performance. I have struggled in transitioning and adapting to the fully online format. This personal issue of developing anxiety is time and energy consuming and preventing me from achieving academic success this semester.

The extenuating circumstances have impacted my ability to perform successfully in PSYC 301 and other courses by not being able to attend in person class, difficulty making class friends to discuss course material with, chat with professors after class, and feeling overwhelmed with a huge adjustment to the fully online format. As well as in past years I have been at the library almost daily during the school week, as opposed to this year being limited in the days and amount of time I can attend has been a difficult transition for me. The steps I took to deal with the extenuating circumstance included reaching out to my past psychologist in mid-October when I felt my mental health was being severely impacted from anxiety and stress.

I didn't drop the course sooner because I had dropped multiple other classes and thought I could continue PSYC 301 with a reduced course load. The adjustment to all online has had a negative impact on all of my courses. Ideally I would like to finish the semester doing what I feel is a manageable amount for the time being to be able to perform as best as I can in the remaining classes.

In planning to go forward with my degree, I plan to retake PSYC 301 next fall with Professor Fabrigar. I feel confident in my ability to complete the course next fall by making personal adjustments such as reducing my Winter and Fall 2021 course load to continue adapting to an online format, starting the PSYC 301 class with a tutor next fall to reduce stress, reaching out to an online class study group early and by continuing working with my psychologist in learning and practicing coping strategies for anxiety.

I will be submitting supporting documentation from either my doctor or psychologist. Thank you for your consideration,
Katharine Traves