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Petition Letter: Essie (Vanessa) Bailey
20133354

Dr. Jill Atkinson
Associate Dean

Dear Dr. Atkinson,
I am appealing to drop GNDS 335 (Fall 2021). I am choosing to do so because of extenuating circumstances: my mom passed away on October 27th of this year and this event severely interrupted my academics. I have been struggling to catch up due to a part-time job, applying to graduate school programs, and dealing with stress and grief. I arranged to have coursework due dates extended until December 17th for all my courses. Further, I worked alongside multiple counsellors to manage my grief and create a plan to finish the semester.
GNDS 335 requires considerable participation and major papers demand I read several novels. I have already missed most opportunities for participation and reading another novel would be extremely time-consuming during exam season. I do not believe that I would be able to complete the coursework required for GNDS 335 without compromising my ability to finish my other classes.
With my planned courses for the winter semester (2022), I will meet the requirements for my gender studies minor even without GNDS 335. I would thus prefer to focus the remainder of my time and attention on my remaining sociology classes. I feel that completing GNDS 335 would be an impediment to my progress and academic success in other classes which are more critical to my academic requirements for graduation. I am confident in my ability to graduate on time and perform well if I am able to drop this class.

Sincerely,
Essie (Vanessa) Bailey