Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom It may concern,

My name is Sara Gray (20113040), I am a fourth-year BAH student in Political Studies.

I am seeking an aegrotat standing for POLS 458 with Professor Stephen Larin as a result of illness and mental health complications.

I have been very ill for about a month now. It began around November 8th as a flu virus, then laryngitis, for which I thought I had recovered when my condition further developed into sinusitis. I visited the hospital on December third because of fever, migraines, cough, bloody mucous and other flu-like symptoms. I was given a trial of antibiotics and given instruction to rest and recover. The illness I have been suffering from seriously hampered my ability to complete my work for POLS 458.

Between missing classes, and feeling incredibly ill and fatigued, I was unable to meet two important deadlines for critical assessments worth a hefty portion of my grade, 14% per paper. POLS 458 is designed so that the grades are divided between five short papers, class participation, and the submission of notes based on readings. Until November, I was participating in classes, submitting 3/5 of the short papers, and completing the reading notes as best as I could. Becoming ill halted my ability to complete my work for this demanding course.

My mental health at this time (for which I have an accommodation already) deteriorated as a result of my condition, and I am riddled with anxiety relating to these circumstances. My situation became more complicated as a result of the resurfacing of intimate matters regarding a sexually abusive partner from the past, who became involved with a housemate of mine. The housemate expected me to relay and relive my experiences to her in detail. This triggered traumatic stressors and shame which exacerbated my already poor mental health and took up much of my energy. I did not feel safe at home at this time and my housemate did more to worsen the situation and antagonize my already fragile state. The stress related to this also caused my irritable bowel syndrome to return with a vengeance. Between balancing recovery and healing I could not meet the deadlines expected for POLS 458.

To offer more context, I received a diagnosis for severe depression and anxiety in 2019 and I have sought to improve my condition using medication and therapy. Unfortunately, November is always a difficult month for me, because of seasonal affective disorder, this past month has only been exacerbated by the unrelenting illness and private matters that have caused my health both mental and physical to suffer.

I have tried to do the best of my abilities considering the circumstances. But I was unable to complete my work. My professor has been accommodating, but his expectations are still very high for me and I simply could not meet them as a result of coupling illness and mental crisis. As it stands, failing this course will hamper my ability to pass this semester and graduate on time. I have also been enrolled in three seminar courses this semester which has made my workload more intensive; the illness rendering me quite useless and ineffective.

I was hoping that the extension offered by Professor Larin would allow me to complete my work, but I remain sick as of December 10th and my mental health continues to decline because of the stress related to this course of events.

I hope you can make special consideration for my case considering the nature of my life at this time. I sincerely wish I was not at the mercy of these circumstances and I am doing my very best to heal myself. Receiving aegrotat standing would allow me to rid myself of some of the stress impacting my health at this time.


Thank you for your consideration and time. If you have any questions or need further clarification, I am available to do so. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Warm regards,

Sara Gray,
20113040.