Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Garrett Mitchell. I hope this letter finds you well. I am a second year student at Queens. I am writing this email to commence the appeal process regarding grade changes of my current marks for Hist241, Hist 215, Hist 252. I will be discussing the reasons why this occurred this year and also about my personal circumstances throughout the past two years, which have affected my performance.

These past two years I have struggled a great deal mentally due to Covid 19 and the protective measures that have come along with the virus. This was confirmed by diagnosis from my doctor and therapist. I have found it extremely challenging to keep up with my school work as well as other everyday things. Last year I received a diagnosis from my doctor that I was struggling with depression and anxiety. Due to my challenges, I received academic accommodations last year. During these difficult times, I received counselling in an attempt to help me through each day. One of the tools and recommendations I have been given was to only focus on one thing at a time, because when I was trying to focus on too many things, I became extremely confused, distracted, and had much difficulty accomplishing anything at all. These mental struggles continued and were re-amplified for me ever since I had covid 19 this winter. This semester, I submitted assignments that were not received. Assignments for classes HIST 241, HIST 252, and HIST 215. I made the mistake of not confirming that these assignments were received. I have realized I could have done this by checking that I received the submission receipts via email. I did not do this and I fully own the action of this, I am sure however that pre covid, something like this would have never happened. This is one of the negative things I developed during my time with my counsellor because as soon as I finished one assignment I moved on to the next one which led to the issues that happened to me particularly in semester two of this year. This has created a situation where I am currently failing a class that I should not be. While I do acknowledge that I was far from perfect in this situation, I am hopeful that I will not lose the entire course over my reoccurring miss in late semester two. The purpose for my appeal is to have these assignments graded, which are currently sitting at 0s. The reason they are sitting at 0 is because they were submitted however not received and I was unaware that they were not received. I would like this so that my marks will properly reflect my efforts this semester, I am asking that my failing grades be passing grades. I will be discussing the extenuating circumstances as to why this happened, as well as confirmation/ backup that these assignments were done and submitted on time.

I have also gathered some statistics to show that I am not the only one that has suffered mentally because of Covid 19 in hopes to show you that these past couple of years have been incredibly difficult mentally for adults of all age groups, but especially young adults roughly ages 18-24. According to gavi.org, in a test conducted in November of 2020, of roughly 63,000 patients that tested positive with covid 19, nearly twenty percent of these covid patients were diagnosed with a mental health disorder such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Of that group 25 percent of them had never been diagnosed with any mental health issues prior to having covid 19. This figure saw results that covid 19, even in the early stages of the pandemic, saw a mental illness increase of five percent. It is also noteworthy that this was in late 2020, very early in the pandemic so this boost was essentially just from having the virus, not even the lockdowns and other protective measures. According to the Kaiser family foundation, as of February 2021, the effects of the lockdowns and other harm as a result of covid 19 measures led to about 40 percent of adults in the US to become depressed or develop anxiety that they either did not have before or it became severely worse if they already suffered from depression or anxiety prior to the lockdowns. 36 percent of people also reported having trouble sleeping. The Kaiser Family Foundation also reported findings that 56 percent of young adults were experiencing mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia as a result of covid 19 and the protective measures that came with the pandemic. Along with this, young adults experienced a 15 percent higher liklihood to have suicidal thoughts compared to adults. (26 compared to 11 percent). These figures from another organisation show the vast effects covid has had on young adults, even compared to the heightened mental struggles older adults face now. Covid has been a very difficult time for everyone, however, these figures show that it has been especially difficult for young adults. More proof of this is The heart organisation also found much higher cases of mental health problems among young adults as a result of covid 19. Particularly that 1 in 4 adults aged 18-24 considered suicide since the beginning of covid 19 measures began. As of October 2021, there were roughly 1,370,000 young adults ages 18-24 living in Ontario. Therefore according to this figure stated by the Heart Organisation, just under 350,000 young adults considered suicide since the start of Covid. Suicidal feelings are the most extreme case of mental struggles, showing how severely covid has effected young adults. This statistic proves very well the extent of the mental struggles Covid has given young adults such as myself. We already knew they have been struggling more than previous generations, she said. But now in the pandemic, younger people also seem to be having a harder time with anxiety, depression, loneliness and so forth, especially those who live alone or are living in more transient circumstances due to schooling or other factors. This quote is by Laura D. Kubzansky. She is the co-director of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. The quote shows that even medical professionals in North America see the statistics and acknowledge that mental health issues have spiked because of covid, especially in young adults and that it is a major issue. Furthermore, with all of these figures regarding young adults and their mental struggles since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, one can not help but wonder if a large portion of these young adults are post secondary students. One would be correct to consider this to be possible. A survey of roughly 2100 college students in April 2020, showed that 80 percent of students reported feeling lonely, depressed, anxious, or all 3 and more. According to the American Psychological Association this number would only get worse as time passed and isolations and lockdowns remained. While there were times without lockdowns there have also been multiple new ones since that survey took place. Meaning that if the APA was correct, the mental well being of young adults is worse now than it was when 80 percent of post secondary students of that sample experienced mental struggles due to covid 19 in April of 2020.

I ask you, please, to consider these extremely difficult times and the distress that it has caused me as well as so many others. Since November of 2020 I have been working hard to overcome these challenges and persevere through. I promise you I continue to work hard, focus and improve throughout my university experience. It has not been easy but with the support of my doctors, the university, and my mother I am confident I will succeed. This is a mistake I plan to never have happen again and I truly appreciate any consideration you will provide. Attached, I have the initial doctors letters, the academic accommodation, as well as text messages between my mother and myself confirming the date and time of completion and submission of these assignments. I can also send you the assignments in question upon request. Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Best regards,
Garrett Mitchell