Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am writing to appeal for an extension of an IN grade in FILM 455 (Fall, 2021). My name is Jiatong Dai and my student number is 20103827.

I was diagnosed with moderate depression and anxiety on August 2nd, 2021, due to personal and family issues. At that time, my condition was very unstable, but with treatment and the help of the doctor, I believed that I could handle one course. I did not want my illness to have a significant impact on my academic performance, so I enrolled in FILM 455 for the Fall 2021 term. Although there were many difficulties at first and I experienced many emotional challenges, I followed the professor and completed most assignments at first. I also requested extensions for some assignments that I fell behind on.

However, around November 2021, due to my mental illness, prolonged emotional instability, poor sleep, and poor eating habits, I began to experience severe physical discomfort. I frequently experienced headaches and feelings of dizziness and nausea. The headaches exacerbated my insomnia, and stomach aches and diarrhoea appeared almost every day. These physical discomforts further weakened my energy and made it impossible for me to concentrate or think. As a result, I did not complete the remaining course assignments, and by that time, I had already passed the date to drop the course.

My illness and physical discomfort persisted, so I was unable to complete the remaining assignments in the winter term (2022). At that time, I was also conducting an internship program, and the leaders understood my situation and expressed their understanding. They gave me a period of vacation and then arranged work for me as appropriate, allowing me to successfully finish this internship. However, my mental illness and physical discomfort had a huge impact on my studies, and there was no way for me to carry out normal learning behaviours.

The course FILM 455 has been cancelled now because Professor Tony Vieira who taught this course before no longer continues to teach in Queens, so I have no way to retake this course in the future. Therefore, I really hope to finish this course. I have almost completed the remaining assignments now, and I have reached out to another professor, Adonay Guerrero Cortes, who has agreed to help me grade this course. I have included Professor Adonay's email in my supporting documents. I have also communicated with my doctor. Since he does not speak English, he disagrees to fill in the off-campus physician's note provided by the school. He can only provide each diagnosis and treatment record through the hospital, which I already have. So I had him write a certificate in Chinese specifically for my physical discomfort symptoms in 2021, and I included it with all the diagnosis and treatment records in my supporting documents.

I am so sorry for all the trouble, and I hope that you can understand my situation and grant me an extension of the IN grade in FILM 455. I am willing to provide any additional information or supporting documents if necessary. I really hope to be able to reduce the impact on my studies during my illness and get everything back on track. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Jiatong Dai