Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I have prepared a statement I would upload it along with other documents. Here is a concise version:

I am Kexun Liu (Student ID: 20432016), and I respectfully request to withdraw MATH 310 and MATH 326 from the Fall 2025 semester. I experienced unforeseen extenuating circumstances that severely impacted my performance in these two courses.

On October 22, 2025, my parents informed me that my grandfather had passed away suddenly from cardiovascular disease. My father holds traditional beliefs in feng shui and reincarnation. When he told me the news, he emphasized that I should not let this affect my studies, as he believed discussing it or letting it interfere with school would be “inauspicious.” This added significant pressure to my grief. The following day, I was diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder through an online consultation. I experienced insomnia, fever, and severe difficulty concentrating. Less than six weeks later, on November 29, I learned that my grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer. This second traumatic event deepened my depression and anxiety. I developed avoidance behaviors toward topics of death and illness, and began experiencing physical symptoms such as heart palpitations and chest tightness whenever I thought about these events.

These circumstances severely affected my performance in the MATH 310 and MATH 326 final exams. During both exams, I was unable to concentrate due to persistent low mood and intrusive catastrophic thoughts about my grandmother’s health. I suffered from severe insomnia and physical symptoms such as fever and fatigue, which left me mentally exhausted. Even when I attempted to apply knowledge I had previously mastered, my thinking was frequently interrupted and I could not perform the necessary analysis and reasoning.

Despite my condition, I attended the exams because my family pressured me to do so. My father, influenced by his superstitious beliefs, insisted that missing an exam would be “inauspicious” and could negatively affect my future. At the time, my judgment was also impaired by depression and Adjustment Disorder, leaving me unable to make a rational decision about my own situation.

I did not apply for academic consideration within the deadline for two reasons. First, my avoidance symptoms made it extremely painful to face or explain what had happened. Each time I tried, I experienced intense emotional distress and physical reactions. Second, my cognitive functioning was impaired, and I could not manage the multi-step administrative process of submitting an EC request.

I understand that some of my other assessments during the semester appeared normal. My ECON 250 midterm on October 27 took place the day after I received medication and psychological support. I was able to sleep that night, and the next day I temporarily focused intensely on studying as a way to avoid thinking about my grandfather. This was a short-term compensatory state, not a sign of recovery. My MATH 280 final on December 10 occurred on a day when my family reassured me—incorrectly, as I later learned—that my grandmother’s condition had improved. Believing this temporarily lifted my mood, and combined with medication, I performed somewhat better.

My grandmother’s condition remained unstable from December 2025 until March 20, 2026, when her radiotherapy was successful and cancer metastasis was ruled out. Only after this did my mental health gradually stabilize, allowing me to manage academic tasks and submit this petition.

I sincerely hope the university will consider how these exceptional circumstances affected my performance in MATH 310 and MATH 326, and approve my request to withdraw these courses.