Petition Letter
This is a petition for a late course drop in regards to the Fall Semester 2023. My mental health was adversely impacted by the events taking place in the Israel-Palestine conflict. I studied for the majority of my life in the Middle East, I went to school with Palestinians, and visited Palestine in 2018. I know this school is not very receptive to the topic but from October onwards my academic performance I feel was greatly impacted by the dread and depression that ensued from these genocidal events. It has taken time to compartmentalize and translate those feelings into action, recovering where I could to re-engage myself during the exam season. From November onwards I want to say, I undertook campus activism and organizing with PSAC, SPHR and the Gender Department for actions both on and off the campus. That is how I coped with my depression. However my studies still remained impacted, it was hard to motivate and compel myself to write during such a bleak time, my academics felt trivial to the spectacle of suffering I was made to witness. I contacted some of my professors at the time expressing my situation and asking for their understanding but as time went on and the casualties grew exponentially higher it became harder and harder to face a return to my studies. I've got a feeling this petition will be rejected but I do sincerely believe these conditions qualify as extenuating circumstances and it is these circumstances that adversely impacted my academic performance. Furthermore the one course that I actually did drop on time was Logic with Adele Mercier, I dropped the course right after the whole debacle about our midterm but before the University fired her proper. So that's a whole other issue right there. In any event I humbly and sincerely petition for the University to drop my Fall semester courses as I do not believe they are a reflection of my academic strength. Please hear my case out.