Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean Dr. Naaman,
I am requesting a late drop for STAT 263 (Fall 2025). I had extenuating circumstances which interfered with my ability to participate in the course.
I had a gender affirming surgery in October that term. It was scheduled last minute due to an opening becoming available. I’ve attached a medical note regarding that.
The recovery process was much more difficult than I expected it to be and I also had some unexpected complications. This made it difficult to attend lectures due to fatigue and pain. It was also difficult to catch up on the coursework that I missed for the same reason.
I also have Major Depressive Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder which I am registered with QSAS for. These disabilities also had flare ups during this period due to the circumstances. I’ve attached a psychological briefing report from my psychologist. Under “recommended accommodations” there is point that applies here:
3. Leo may need to withdraw from courses past the normal “drop” date due to their emotional concerns. If this occurs, special considerations of their mood state should be made to ascertain whether the course should be removed from their transcript in full.
More specifically regarding the course, I only ever completed some online activities worth in total 15% and my final grade is an F.
I didn’t have as much issue with the other courses I took that term as their marks were spread out across many assignments and tests–I was able to manage this structure more effectively. Also I found the supplementary resources provided were more helpful and allowed me to catch up on what I missed more easily.
For STATS 263, most of the grade came from the midterm and final. I missed the midterm due to the surgery event itself and so that portion of the grade was shifted to the final (it became 77%). The exam period and the weather leading up to it put me under even further strain which I was not able to cope well with, so I was not able to write the exam then. The professor let me defer the exam to the winter term, but I found my winter semester too overwhelming to find time to catch up on the course. I wanted to consult my QSAS advisor but there were no appointments available for a while. I had one scheduled earlier but it had to be cancelled because she was sick. I didn’t actually know that this was an option and only found out about it after being able to talk to her later in the winter term. I would have tried to drop the course earlier otherwise. I also didn’t realize that there were deadlines associated with the availability of solutions. I think this is the only option available to me now but if you think that I should be doing something else please let me know.
In the future I will be more cautious of my limitations so as not to end up in a situation like this again.
Thank you,
Leo Farb
I am requesting a late drop for STAT 263 (Fall 2025). I had extenuating circumstances which interfered with my ability to participate in the course.
I had a gender affirming surgery in October that term. It was scheduled last minute due to an opening becoming available. I’ve attached a medical note regarding that.
The recovery process was much more difficult than I expected it to be and I also had some unexpected complications. This made it difficult to attend lectures due to fatigue and pain. It was also difficult to catch up on the coursework that I missed for the same reason.
I also have Major Depressive Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder which I am registered with QSAS for. These disabilities also had flare ups during this period due to the circumstances. I’ve attached a psychological briefing report from my psychologist. Under “recommended accommodations” there is point that applies here:
3. Leo may need to withdraw from courses past the normal “drop” date due to their emotional concerns. If this occurs, special considerations of their mood state should be made to ascertain whether the course should be removed from their transcript in full.
More specifically regarding the course, I only ever completed some online activities worth in total 15% and my final grade is an F.
I didn’t have as much issue with the other courses I took that term as their marks were spread out across many assignments and tests–I was able to manage this structure more effectively. Also I found the supplementary resources provided were more helpful and allowed me to catch up on what I missed more easily.
For STATS 263, most of the grade came from the midterm and final. I missed the midterm due to the surgery event itself and so that portion of the grade was shifted to the final (it became 77%). The exam period and the weather leading up to it put me under even further strain which I was not able to cope well with, so I was not able to write the exam then. The professor let me defer the exam to the winter term, but I found my winter semester too overwhelming to find time to catch up on the course. I wanted to consult my QSAS advisor but there were no appointments available for a while. I had one scheduled earlier but it had to be cancelled because she was sick. I didn’t actually know that this was an option and only found out about it after being able to talk to her later in the winter term. I would have tried to drop the course earlier otherwise. I also didn’t realize that there were deadlines associated with the availability of solutions. I think this is the only option available to me now but if you think that I should be doing something else please let me know.
In the future I will be more cautious of my limitations so as not to end up in a situation like this again.
Thank you,
Leo Farb