Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am requesting to drop my RELS 131 course without a failing grade, even though the date has passed. I have been attempting to keep up with the course work, but have received many late penalties for assignments. My mother died in October of 2014 which caused me extreme anxiety (affecting my course load in the winter semester) but now that I've returned home for the summer (in April 2015) I've been taking care of my disabled sister. Both of these factors are causing me extreme stress, and the physical symptoms (nausea, exhaustion, lack of focus, etc) are seriously impacting my academic abilities right now. My concentration is virtually gone, and my time is being taken up with helping my sister do things- whether it's working through an episode, buying groceries, or just staying up all night to make her more comfortable to sleep, I'm becoming quite tired. It's extremely hard to focus on assignments and I am almost certain I will fail this course. I'm currently taking another class and balancing both has been difficult. I don't want to jeopardize my grades in that course too by continuing to take RELS 131 despite my difficulties. I've been to the hospital once this summer for my physical symptoms, but mentally I'm just as lost. To put things frankly, I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakdown. I've made an appointment with a nurse and a psychologist to provide documentation for this and to receive proper treatment. I will also attach a copy of my mother's death certificate.