Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
I hope you are well and are staying safe and healthy during this time. I am emailing you regarding a request to late drop DEVS 492 from the Winter term of 2021. Since May 2019, I had been informed by my family Doctor that I have had ongoing anxiety and depression since 2010. As my diagnosis had never affected my academics or personal life until April 2019, I never applied for any type of accommodations or further inquired about my behaviours because it simply had minimal interference with my functionality. While I am still unaware as to why my mental health took a turn for the worst in April 2019, it wasn¿¿t until it had severely impacted my DEVS 492 course I was registered for in the Winter term of 2019 that I took my health seriously. Unfortunately, my health had cost me my grade, as my 400-level course ended in a D+. Following the fall term of 2019, I was advised to contact QSAS in order to apply for academic accommodations, as I began to experience heightened anxiety and depression, which affected my academics, my personal life, and my job. I proceeded by dropping my Fall 2019 courses, took the Winter term off of school to focus on my health, took a leave of absence from my job to live at home with my family, and began medication and therapy to better my mental health. While I have never been back to my old self, things did get better. Although my new life included that of a pandemic, I spent 2020 working to find the medication that best fits me, spent time with family and friends (although, mostly from a distance), stayed regularly active, ate three meals a day, and woke up each day before 10 AM. My personal relationships improved, and I am proud to say that I have worked two great jobs during this time. When Fall 2020 arrived, I was proactive and forwarded my STAA form to my professors to inform them of my disability. They were incredibly sympathetic and accommodating and I am incredibly grateful. While I had only registered for one course for the Winter term of 2021, specifically for a second chance to change the outcome of my DEVS492 grade, I knew that my disability could potentially impact my school, so I applied for accommodations with QSAS in an attempt be proactive. On March 4th, 2021, I had an appointment with Jeanette Parsons, my QSAS advisor at the time. I had outlined my health concerns and she graciously granted me a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) regarding my long-term mental health disability. Because I had been doing well in my courses, she had advised me to ¿¿hold off sending your LOA to your instructors until absolutely necessary¿. Taking this advice, I did not forward my LOA until March 28th, 2021. At this point, March was not going well. I was sleeping in until 7 PM on nearly a daily basis, I avoided meals, picked fights with my parents, and avoided schoolwork. I even avoided contacting my therapist for the duration of the term, until mid-April, where I informed him that the past few months had had it¿¿s up and downs. I knew my health was taking a turn for the worst, so I contacted my DEVS 492 Professor, Susanne Soederberg, forwarded my LOA, and requested an extension on March 28th. On April 14th, Professor Soederberg had kindly outlined a series of revised extensions for the remainder of my coursework, which were April 16th, April 20th, and May 1st. At the end of her email, she suggested I apply for a longer consideration from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences if I required more time. I accepted her extension in panic and was unfortunately unable to meet this extension due to my disability and requested an additional extension. I informed Professor Soederberg of this situation on April 29th. The following morning, she let me know that she is mandated to submit grades at the start of May and stated for a second time that would be happy to entertain a long-term consideration request from the Faculty of Arts and Science. I followed her suggestions and applied for long-term consideration. Upon updating her with my request for long-term consideration from the Faculty of Arts and Science, she informed me that she had already given me sufficient extensions in her course and declined my request. Throughout May and June, I contacted the QSAS intake coordinator, Deb Bruce, QSAS advisor, Angel Varette, and Human Rights Advisor, Dre Choi in order to understand the purpose of my LOA. They informed me that while my LOA is in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, it is up to the discretion of the instructor to grant me an extension past the duration of the course. I was also informed that had I forwarded my LOA earlier in the term, I could have been better accommodated. I am confused as to why I was advised to ¿¿hold off sending my LOA to my instructor until absolutely necessary¿, as well as advised to submit a request for long-term consideration if I were to only be denied accessibility services. May is mental health awareness month, and I, unfortunately, spent the entirety of it crying, losing sleep, and picking at my fingers and legs until they bled because of how negative and emotionally taxing this experience has been for me. I wish I had been better informed regarding the extent of my LOA on the date it was approved, as I could have better assessed my health and dropped the course prior to the deadline. I feel extremely misled and I am saddened by my recent experience with the institution I adore so much. Despite my health, I am incredibly proud of my grades, my resume, and my work experience. While I inevitably have holes in my transcript as a result of my health, I hope that you are able to see my potential and how much detail and care I put into my academics. Thank you for considering my letter and I wish you and your office good health during these unprecedented times.
Kind regards,
Serene Nekoui
I hope you are well and are staying safe and healthy during this time. I am emailing you regarding a request to late drop DEVS 492 from the Winter term of 2021. Since May 2019, I had been informed by my family Doctor that I have had ongoing anxiety and depression since 2010. As my diagnosis had never affected my academics or personal life until April 2019, I never applied for any type of accommodations or further inquired about my behaviours because it simply had minimal interference with my functionality. While I am still unaware as to why my mental health took a turn for the worst in April 2019, it wasn¿¿t until it had severely impacted my DEVS 492 course I was registered for in the Winter term of 2019 that I took my health seriously. Unfortunately, my health had cost me my grade, as my 400-level course ended in a D+. Following the fall term of 2019, I was advised to contact QSAS in order to apply for academic accommodations, as I began to experience heightened anxiety and depression, which affected my academics, my personal life, and my job. I proceeded by dropping my Fall 2019 courses, took the Winter term off of school to focus on my health, took a leave of absence from my job to live at home with my family, and began medication and therapy to better my mental health. While I have never been back to my old self, things did get better. Although my new life included that of a pandemic, I spent 2020 working to find the medication that best fits me, spent time with family and friends (although, mostly from a distance), stayed regularly active, ate three meals a day, and woke up each day before 10 AM. My personal relationships improved, and I am proud to say that I have worked two great jobs during this time. When Fall 2020 arrived, I was proactive and forwarded my STAA form to my professors to inform them of my disability. They were incredibly sympathetic and accommodating and I am incredibly grateful. While I had only registered for one course for the Winter term of 2021, specifically for a second chance to change the outcome of my DEVS492 grade, I knew that my disability could potentially impact my school, so I applied for accommodations with QSAS in an attempt be proactive. On March 4th, 2021, I had an appointment with Jeanette Parsons, my QSAS advisor at the time. I had outlined my health concerns and she graciously granted me a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) regarding my long-term mental health disability. Because I had been doing well in my courses, she had advised me to ¿¿hold off sending your LOA to your instructors until absolutely necessary¿. Taking this advice, I did not forward my LOA until March 28th, 2021. At this point, March was not going well. I was sleeping in until 7 PM on nearly a daily basis, I avoided meals, picked fights with my parents, and avoided schoolwork. I even avoided contacting my therapist for the duration of the term, until mid-April, where I informed him that the past few months had had it¿¿s up and downs. I knew my health was taking a turn for the worst, so I contacted my DEVS 492 Professor, Susanne Soederberg, forwarded my LOA, and requested an extension on March 28th. On April 14th, Professor Soederberg had kindly outlined a series of revised extensions for the remainder of my coursework, which were April 16th, April 20th, and May 1st. At the end of her email, she suggested I apply for a longer consideration from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences if I required more time. I accepted her extension in panic and was unfortunately unable to meet this extension due to my disability and requested an additional extension. I informed Professor Soederberg of this situation on April 29th. The following morning, she let me know that she is mandated to submit grades at the start of May and stated for a second time that would be happy to entertain a long-term consideration request from the Faculty of Arts and Science. I followed her suggestions and applied for long-term consideration. Upon updating her with my request for long-term consideration from the Faculty of Arts and Science, she informed me that she had already given me sufficient extensions in her course and declined my request. Throughout May and June, I contacted the QSAS intake coordinator, Deb Bruce, QSAS advisor, Angel Varette, and Human Rights Advisor, Dre Choi in order to understand the purpose of my LOA. They informed me that while my LOA is in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, it is up to the discretion of the instructor to grant me an extension past the duration of the course. I was also informed that had I forwarded my LOA earlier in the term, I could have been better accommodated. I am confused as to why I was advised to ¿¿hold off sending my LOA to my instructor until absolutely necessary¿, as well as advised to submit a request for long-term consideration if I were to only be denied accessibility services. May is mental health awareness month, and I, unfortunately, spent the entirety of it crying, losing sleep, and picking at my fingers and legs until they bled because of how negative and emotionally taxing this experience has been for me. I wish I had been better informed regarding the extent of my LOA on the date it was approved, as I could have better assessed my health and dropped the course prior to the deadline. I feel extremely misled and I am saddened by my recent experience with the institution I adore so much. Despite my health, I am incredibly proud of my grades, my resume, and my work experience. While I inevitably have holes in my transcript as a result of my health, I hope that you are able to see my potential and how much detail and care I put into my academics. Thank you for considering my letter and I wish you and your office good health during these unprecedented times.
Kind regards,
Serene Nekoui