Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

My name is Rachel Harris (student number 10104308) and I am appealing the 21-day deadline to drop courses.

For the past two years I have been struggling with the delayed effects of having a clinically diagnosed narcissistic psychopathic father. My parents divorced shortly after my father's diagnosis, but a therapist who evaluated me at the time made it clear that I would feel the effects sometime in the future. At the beginning of my second year of university I began having trouble finishing homework, handing in assignments, making my way to class, and even getting out of bed. I began to fail courses but I could not understand why I was experiencing such a sudden change, and I was too embarrassed to reach out for help. I did not appeal my two failed courses (DRAM 200, DRAM 220) within the 21-day deadline because I could not figure out what the problem was and I didn't think I could ask others for help. Over the summer of 2015 I began to see a therapist who identified the change as depression, most likely caused by the interaction with and then loss of my father. I worked with this therapist throughout the summer and I have included a letter outlining her conclusions from our meetings. In an effort to further improve my schoolwork and mindset I attended weekly meetings with a therapist in Kingston for the entire 2016 Winter semester. Before I was able to schedule meetings with the Kingston therapist I began to struggle with one of my fall semester courses: PSYC 251. I began to look into additional resources that would help me understand my mindset and difficulty keeping up my work. I scheduled a psychological assessment from professional James Little that took place throughout early August of 2016. It was only after I received his results and recommendations that I was able to come up with a plan that suited my specific needs.

There are three main parts to my future plan if my appeal is granted and the 21-day deadline is dropped. First, I will submit an appeal requesting a late drop for the courses DRAM 200, DRAM 220, and PSYCH 251. Second, I will retake PSYC 251 in the Fall semester 2016. Third, I will follow the professional opinions and advice from my psychological evaluation to keep on top of my schoolwork. The evaluation stressed that I have trouble remembering and understanding course content and assignment dates. I plan to keep a detailed calendar to remind me of my schedule, ask for clarification as much as I need in class, and take detailed notes in class to remember content. In addition to these steps, I will be more mindful of drop dates and make sure to drop any future courses before the deadline.

Thank you for your time,

Rachel Harris