Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I¿¿m a second-year undergraduate student. I want to drop the PPEC 200 because, since last month, I have been struggling with some mental conditions, making me unable to finish this course this term. Since July, the ongoing pandemic keeps making me anxious every day. During that time, 2 of my best friends were tested positive for COVID-19 in China. When things happen to the people near you, you begin to feel the pandemic is more severe than you think it was. I was so worried about all my families and friends in China. I cry and pray for my two poor friends to beat the disease. Since then, I have been suffering from insomnia so bad. I stay up late, almost every day. I began losing hair, having trouble focusing on things, poor appetite, and thinking about the pandemic day and night. But I still can handle my daily life and carry on back in those days. Until last month, I received a devastating message. My grandma passed away on October 12th. This message totally destroys my life.
The worst part is due to the pandemic and the shortage of international fight tickets, I have no chance to see my grandma for the last look and didn¿¿t have the opportunity to join her funeral. I can¿¿t accept losing her. She is the most vital support of my life. I cannot imagine when I come back to my home, call grandma while standing up in front of the door just like in the old days, but no response in her room anymore, no warmest hug, no that reassuring smile, no more chatters, no more arguing, no more repeatedly advising, no grandma in my following life¿ Since the day I received the devastating news, I don¿¿t have the energy to do things at all. I laid in my bed all day, trying to accept the grievous information. However, the harder I try, the more pain and heart-broken I would feel. There is a hollow in my soul that I don¿¿t think I¿¿m able to fix it. I feel headache and dizzy all day.
It was November 25th when I finally get some energy to see a doctor and cheer up. The doctor suggested me to reduce some course load and gave me Sertraline Hydrochloride, which releases some of my pressure. During my depression period, I fall behind in all my courses. For some courses like ECON 212, ECON 222, I can still catch up; for others like PPEC 200, POLS 110, which require many readings every week hat I have already fall behind too much. I think I could neither catch up with these courses nor do further readings or assignments for these courses with my current condition. When I check the deadline for dropping the courses, I found that I already missed it. Since I struggled with mental issues around the deadline, I now, through appeal to drop the PPEC 200 and POLS 110. I learned that I can still drop the POLS 110 by myself because it is a two-term course. But for the PPEC 200, I have to appeal. I really like what is covered both in the PPEC 200 and POLS 110, but I have had and will miss lots of juicy parts of these courses with my current condition. When I think I¿¿m ready again, I will retake these courses.

Thank you.