Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To those concerned,
In January 2016 I fell into a deep depression that has seriously affected my ability to function in both academic and social settings. As a result of this depression I was unable to complete assigned coursework except for attending one of my smaller seminars with seven people, as to maintain the appearance that I was still academically active. Concurrent with the stress of not completing academic requirements, I was also attempting to manage my career as an Army Reserve Officer, which required me to supervise and manage a large body of soldiers, and my depression affected this as well, limiting my ability to conduct both studies and my career normally. By March 2016 my mental health was in such a poor state that a co worker recognized the warning signs of depression and immediately took me to seek mental health counseling. That day I visited the Queen¿¿s Lasalle clinic where they told me I was suffering from depression and that I needed to go to my family doctor to be diagnosed, but they were confident in what the diagnosis would be.
The following day I was diagnosed by my family doctor with depression and was put on antidepressants. My family doctor told me that I had been suffering from depression my whole life in varying degrees which has affected my academic standing, although prior to January 2016 the effects had been limited at the warning signs had gone by ignored. I respectfully request for these three courses to be dropped as the majority of evaluations in them occurred after I was no longer able to function with all of my mental faculties and could not complete them to my fullest potential.
After being prescribed antidepressants and have begun my assigned dosage I have rebounded completely and have been able to make up for work in my remaining two courses, demonstrating that I have genuine determination to finish the coursework that I was assigned during the period between January and March of 2016, when my symptoms were at their worst. I believe these events to be meeting the university¿¿s definition of extenuating circumstances as until I was taken for help I did not even know I had a problem, demonstrating that I myself was unable to recognize my own state of mental health. In hindsight I can see how naive that was, however I am eager to return to my studies with all of my faculties present.
Yours,


Alan Townshend-Carter