Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to request a late withdrawal from HIST 105: Post-Confederation Canada, which I was enrolled in during the (Fall/Winter 2023-2024) term. I understand the usual deadline to request a course withdrawal has passed, but I am asking for this exception due to severe extenuating circumstances that significantly impacted my academic performance and overall well-being.
In mid-December 2023, I ended a relationship with my partner, who had been very abusive. This deeply affected my mental health and caused major rifts with close friends, roommates, and even family members. While I was still trying to process and recover from the emotional fallout, on Monday, January 15, 2024, I received a hysterical phone call from my grandmother informing me that four of our family members had been murdered in Houston, Texas just two days prior, on January 13.
My mother, grandmother, and I quickly made travel arrangements and arrived in Houston on Friday, January 26, which coincided with the family viewing. This was an extremely traumatic experience, especially due to complications with how the victims’ bodies appeared as a result of their deaths. Several immediate family members experienced severe breakdowns that day, including myself. The trip lasted about a week and included emotionally distressing visits to the home where the murders took place in order to clean out belongings, at one point, we even came into contact with a bag containing bloodied items and a gun.
After returning from this unspeakably heartbreaking trip, I found myself completely overwhelmed. I had hardly begun to recover from the emotional toll of my breakup, and now I was suddenly facing multiple midterms and outstanding assignments. I struggled to leave my dorm room and became increasingly depressed. Although I tried to stay afloat academically, my mental health continued to deteriorate. As the semester went on and final exams approached, my ability to keep up with the course demands plummeted. I began receiving failing or near-failing grades, and by the time of the HIST 105 final exam, I had a complete mental breakdown. I was genuinely concerned for my safety and made the decision, with my mother's support, to remain in my dorm room where I could be in a safe and neutral environment. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the exam and subsequently failed the course.
I recognize that the official deadline to request a withdrawal has passed. However, I was not aware that an appeal of this nature was even an option until about a week ago. Since then, I have been gathering the necessary information and working to put together this appeal as best as I can. I am not asking for any grades to be altered or retroactively adjusted, as I understand that would not be fair given the amount of time that has passed. I am simply asking for HIST 105 to be dropped from my transcript so that the F grade no longer appears, as it continues to haunt me academically and emotionally while entering my third year still carrying the weight of a failed first-year course.
Thank you for taking the time to read my request. I truly appreciate your understanding and consideration.
Sincerely,
Alexandrea Sonne