Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean,

I am appealing to waive the one-term deadline to appeal to drop BCHM 218, MCR 221, BIOL 330, PSYC 100, BIOL 350, HLTH 102, MUSC 102, BIOL 322, and ECON 111.

I have had long-term problems with anxiety and depression that became difficult to manage in the fall of 2013 and progressively worsened and included substance use issues in the following three years. The combination of these factors has been ongoing and has affected my academic performance as well as prevented me from filing an appeal within the one-term deadline. When my depression initially worsened, inability to sleep led to low energy and mood. This affected my ability to maintain personal relationships and meet deadlines for group work and weekly assignments. This contributed to my social anxiety which became significantly worse and made attending lectures or seeking help very difficult. My appetite decreased and I ate infrequently which led to a further lack of energy to focus on studying. During this period, I developed a substance use issue which I am now managing through counselling. Substance use affected my focus and memory as well as ability to communicate which had an impact on coursework and meeting deadlines. These issues had a significant impact on my ability to function and I was unable to meet the one-term deadline to appeal to drop failed courses.

I was seen by a psychiatrist at the Hotel Dieu in Kingston from August 2014 to September 2015 and a combination of changes in my personal life and family earlier this year motivated me to seek counselling through HCDS. I have been meeting regularly with a counsellor at HCDS since the beginning of August of this year and have begun taking medication through health services to help manage my depression. Since meeting with a counsellor and discussing ways of dealing with depression and social anxiety I have found my mood increase enough to find motivation to make changes to diet and exercise. These changes have further helped improve my focus and gradually reduce the substance use. I plan to continue to work to manage my depression and social anxiety in the future and focus on academics.

Should the appeal be granted, I will appeal to drop these courses as well as CISC 102 which was taken in summer 2017. From there, I would take one to two courses at a time to fulfill the requirements for my degree. During this time, I will make an active effort to get involved in volunteering to manage my social anxiety, and will seek out help from professors or TAs if I struggle with any course content. I plan to continue with counselling and medication through HCDS or a private counsellor to help manage my depression and prevent any further substance use.

Thank you for your time,
Evan Cheeseman