Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (academic),

My name is Kierra Whetstone and my student number 20120089. I am appealing to late drop SOCY210 ¿¿ Social Research Methods, FILM217 ¿¿ Film and Media History and Theory Pre-1960, FILM236 ¿¿ Media and Cultural Studies, and FILM250 ¿¿ Fundamentals of Media Production, without academic penalty.

Throughout the fall term of 2020, my experience with mental health has become quite challenging. Though I have dealt with mental health issues for some time, my symptoms have recently become more intensive, severe, and frequent.

Due to a loss of someone close to me and the anniversary of their passing being in late September, I had difficulty getting back to my usual level of functioning after a period of grieving.

Into mid-October, my symptoms were such that it became very difficult to focus, difficult to absorb my course content, and difficult to be able to participate in course requirements. I also have been experiencing low mood, inability to sleep, and it seemed as though the medication I had been on was not working in the way it needed to be.

As mentioned before, this impacted my courses quite a bit, I was not able to participate in my courses as much as I needed to. Assignments were not being completed on time, and assignments that I had handed were not meeting the standards that I wanted them to. For example, in FILM217, there are weekly assignments that you would complete as part of a group. I consistently let my group down, was unable to participate until the last minute, before I completely stopped participating altogether. Even if I tried to force myself, I found myself staring at my computer screen and unable to focus.

I had hoped that I would be able to get back on track throughout October. By the time I had realized that this was not going to happen, it was closer to the end of October. I called Student Wellness Services to make an appointment with a counsellor, but unfortunately, by the time I was able to get an appointment (on the 4th of November), the deadline to drop courses without academic or financial penalty had already passed.

With that initial appointment this term, I was able to get in contact with medical staff at Student wellness, and we were able to assess the severity of my situation. It unfortunately took a bit of time to get connected with a doctor, followed by a psychiatrist, hence the lateness of my application.

At this time, I believe the best thing for my mental health is to drop the courses for this term, take the remaining time in the semester to focus on my wellbeing, and continue my academics in the future. Now that I am connected with counselling and psychiatry at Student Wellness Services, we are working to develop a plan to support my mental health and ensure that I am able to access the support services I need, and create strategies to handle issues before they become this severe again.

I hope and plan to be able to continue my studies in the winter term, but perhaps with a reduced course load. As for the courses I am currently requesting to drop, I hope to be able to take them either in the spring or summer terms, or next fall for year-long courses such as FILM250.

In the meantime, I plan to take this time to create healthy lifestyle changes, prioritize self-care, and participate in wellness activities provided by Student Wellness Services. I also am hoping to participate in the treatment that is provided by Student Wellness Services, as well as various wellness groups they offer (such as joining the Managing Powerful Emotions group starting next term).

Thank you for your consideration,
Kierra Whetstone