Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing the requirement to withdraw for 1 year as well as appealing to drop all failed courses. There are several extenuating circumstances that contributed to my inability to succeed during this academic year. The extenuating circumstances individually were challenging, and in succession, resulted in repeatedly eroding my mental health slowly but drastically starting in late fall 2021 and continuing until now. The decline in my mental health caused a negative spiral in my academic performance. I went from attending classes and submitting assignments in the fall, to avoiding classes at the end of January 2022 and no longer being able to complete assignments. All the while, I found it extremely difficult to focus on completing readings and studying. The events leading to this spiral are:
- testing positive with COVID-19 twice during the school year; both times I was isolated from family and from my school community and suffered moderate to severe symptoms (COVID certificate and home test photo attached)
- the unexpected death of my grandfather (death certificate attached)
- the return of chronic nerve pain (document outlining treatment plan attached in German (original) and English (translated))
- I am currently in the process of waiting for an appointment with a professional who can assess and treat my current mental health. Due to high demand, I have not yet been able to see a mental health professional who can provide supporting documentation.

I tested positive for COVID 19 two times during the school year (December 2021 and March 2022) and was extremely ill in both instances. The side effects caused me to not be able to get out of bed for over a week each time, even with medication. Even after applying for academic consideration, it was not enough time to catch up on the work I missed. In addition to this my grandfather passed away on February 25th, immediately following the February Reading Week. This caused emotional distress for me as well as caused me to miss another week of classes in order to prepare for and attend his funeral.

I have also struggled with chronic nerve pain for several years which led to me undergoing cryotherapy at home in Switzerland in March 2021. This treatment was so that I wouldn't have pain while at school in Canada. Unfortunately, this pain returned in March 2022, coinciding with my return to residence. Nerve pain is debilitating and caused me to be unable to concentrate on my studies or function normally. The alternative treatments, using a TENS machine and Ibuprofen, weren't enough pain relief to allow me to focus.

Further, I was isolated from my friends and community from December 2021 to March 2022 due to the pandemic. The students in residence were asked to leave in December and at that time I returned to be with my family in Switzerland. This created both a physical distance as well as a distance from my classes and my friends, due to the time difference. This caused my mental health to worsen resulting in me avoiding classes and not submitting assignments.

All of these factors contributed to the worsening of a depressive episode which started at the end of the fall semester which resulted in me having a lack of motivation do anything. I could not find the energy to do daily functions including going to eat, showering, going to class, studying, reading, and meeting up with friends. I had incredible difficulty focusing. My mind went to negative and self-degrading thoughts, which further shook my self confidence. I didn't know that I needed help, and thought I could handle these dark emotions myself. Instead, it resulted in me staring at the books and pages without focus. Time would pass without accomplishing anything. This ultimately made it near impossible for me to get any work done or go to class or eventually even leave my residence room.