Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

I am writing to you today to appeal for a late course drop, as the deadline for course drop without academic penalty has since passed (November 1). More specifically, I am appealing to drop RELS 252, Fall 2021. I have spoken with my Accomodations Advisor, and we have both agreed that my extenuating circumstances warrant an appeal to drop a course past the deadline.

I have struggled with my mental health for years, but it has especially deteriorated in the last year and the last few weeks especially: I have diagnosed anxiety, depression, anorexia nervosa, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, this is not something new to me. They have always been difficult to manage, but in the past few months they have become debilitating to the point of hospitalization. My eating disorder has begun to manifest in very serious physical symptoms, and I have had to start visiting Hotel Dieu regularly for consistent medical monitoring, considerably disrupting my weekly schedule. In addition to this, I am now becoming all too used to being bed-bound by issues with my heart, as a direct result of my eating disorder and depression. This has also significantly impacted my ability to work on academics in the last few weeks especially, as I am constantly having to visit the hospital and undergo testing and medical monitoring.

On top of all of this, my family is in a very difficult place at the moment: my father was diagnosed with gallbladder and liver cancer last October, and is in very rough shape. His liver cancer is entirely untreatable by radiation because he has had liver disease his entire life, a result of ulcerative colitis from the age of 13. This means that all measures being taken are only for prolongation, rather than curative. He has been put on the transplant list, but is a very poor candidate. How this relates to my recent exacerbation of mental health symptoms and academic difficulties is that last week, he suffered near-fatal complications from his last procedure, and I had to rush home to be with my family. I missed a full week of classes, and since then I have been sent into an absolute downward spiral mentally, which only seems to be getting worse. I am having to constantly travel between Kingston and my home town, causing a great disruption in my daily routine, including with academics.

All of this to say, my academics have greatly suffered as a direct result of the ridiculous amount of personal issues going on. I have been seeing counselors, therapists, dieticians and countless doctors for years, but these last few weeks have been so difficult that I??ve even started to avoid those appointments, completely shutting myself away so that I might try to focus on the schoolwork that has been piling up. It is not healthy for me to continue prioritizing school over my mental well-being. I recognize that my circumstances have been going on for an extended period of time, but I cannot stress enough how much the events of the last few weeks have exacerbated my symptoms of mental illness, everything has been pushed to the extremes. I would rather not go into too much detail, but I will attach my doctor??s notes which certify my current position.

I want to emphasize the impact that this has had on my academics, my religion course especially. I have barely been able to go to class, do any readings, or even bring myself to do any work at all. I have needed to ask almost all of my professors for extensions on every project, paper, or even small assignments. I have fallen horribly behind in all courses simply because I cannot get myself out of bed in the morning.

The class that has suffered the most has been religion, because it is an elective that does not specifically align with my Academic plan. The last few weeks, amidst everything going on, I have had to prioritize my other classes, meaning my religion class has become my biggest source of anxiety, as I fall continuously behind in the class, despite my best efforts.

As previously mentioned, I am trying to see my doctors and therapist and other support people regularly, when I can bring myself to see them. I am enrolled in the Hotel Dieu Adult Eating Disorder Program, and have all the resources available to me as I continue to try to help myself. Even with all of the support at my disposal, I am still struggling. This is why my advisor and I, along with my lovely team of medical professionals and the rest of my support system, have agreed that I would be better off with a slightly reduced course-load, so that I may try to focus on my family and my mental health.

Should my appeal be approved, I would be able to better access the support of my therapist, and the rest of the team at Hotel Dieu. I would be able to spend a bit more time with my family, especially my father, in these difficult times. Most importantly, I would have the time and space to be able to work on my own well-being and mental health.

Please take all of this into account when making your decision. I am currently working as hard as possible, doing everything I can be doing, but it is still not enough. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Thank you,
Neave Watson-Laird
20235081