Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: There have been several extenuating circumstances, beyond my control, that are causing me to apply for this academic appeal. To begin, on October 21, 2021, my grandmother passed away suddenly due to a heart attack. This has been extremely hard on both myself and my family as my grandfather, who is now widowed, also suffers from dementia. I have had to take care of him quite a bit and recently he took a fall. As a result, he suffered from a broken pelvis. He is currently doing poorly in the hospital and is suspected by his doctors to pass very soon. Due to this extenuating circumstance, I have found it extremely difficult to stay on top of all the work from my readings, modules, discussion posts, quizzes, tests, and assignments. Following this event, my boyfriend's grandfather passed away on October 23, 2021, after fighting cancer. This came as devastating news as he played a tremendous role in both mine and my boyfriend's lives. Following his passing, I've had to help his newly widowed wife get her affairs in order and cope with his passing. This extenuating circumstance has also further prevented me from maintaining my focus on my classes and succeeding. In addition to these circumstances, my father suffers from alcoholism. Overall, these events have been extremely hard on me as I am the only one in the family who is willing to be in contact with him at this time. The sudden death of his mother and his father being ill has worsened his alcoholism, resulting in me having to care for him frequently. I have made numerous attempts over time to get my father help for his addiction and this has added even more strain to my own mental health. In addition, my uncle who suffers from obesity, asthma, COPD, and kidney failure, was diagnosed with COVID-19 twice this year. This has deteriorated his already poor health tremendously, and I have had to spend many hours caring for him at his home as he is bedridden. This extenuating circumstance has only furthered my struggle in focusing on school. In addition to the extenuating circumstances I have previously listed, another is my own mental health. I have struggled with my mental health for about 4 years now. I have been diagnosed with both depression and anxiety. The transition to university has been extremely difficult for me considering the increased workload and has been especially difficult with it being completely virtual. I do see a counsellor to help me deal with some of the stress and anxiety caused by these extenuating circumstances. From our sessions, they have agreed that it is in my best interest to file for this appeal, as I have reached my breaking point. Thank you for taking the time to read my appeal and I hope that it will be granted.