Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To: Johanne Bernard, Associate Dean
I am appealing the Faculty of Arts and Science decision to require me to withdraw for one year. During the previous year and a half, my family suffered a great deal due to my brother¿¿s constant theft of our possessions as well as much of our money. My single mother of 6 needed help and asked me to work. I began working at a daycare towards the end of 2016 (approx. November) and was working 40 or more hours a week. I was also dealing with sick relatives in foreign countries and sick relatives close by, both being grandparents of mine. This, along with my brother¿¿s addictions and theft, combined with school, put me under a lot of duress and eventually led to me suffering from a great deal of anxiety. Our household many times felt like a warzone. Despite my mental health not being at a place of me being able to continue with full time studies, I lived in denial and continued taking a full course load each semester. I decided after failing three semesters consecutively that I needed to some form of help, and I quit working. I first started by going to a religious pilgrimage for three weeks in the summer of 2017. After doing so, I thought (incorrectly so) that I was ready to return to my studies for the fall. I found myself falling into the same patterns of anxiety, depression, and overall inability to focus on my work. Something wasn¿¿t adding up, and I realized my mental health was not something I could deal with alone, I needed to do more than just pray about it. So in November 2017 I sought out help from a religious counselor. I told her about all my struggles and that I was barely managing with the current semester and falling severely behind. She and I spent hours laying out plans and goals for myself and discussing what I can do within my capacity to aid myself in school and not overburden myself. I then sent emails to each of my professors asking them if there was anyway I could catch up in each respective course. Three of them replied back positively letting me know they sympathized with my struggles and would be willing to help me catch up. The fourth course (Hist) I was unable to catch up in due to not supplying documentation proving my mental health struggles. I incorrectly thought the only documentation that would be accepted is from a licensed therapist. I ended up being unable to catch up in the course. I sought to appeal the course from my transcript but was rejected. This gave me a great deal of anxiety as I realized that even if I were to achieve all A¿¿s in the next semester I would still fall below the requirement to be placed off academic probation and thus would be asked to withdraw. Throughout the Winter 2018 semester I tried my best to stay positive and not fall into the same patterns, but I began to feel a sense of hopelessness. I emailed my academic advisor and discussed my situation and asked that I be given a chance in spite of my GPA. He replied and encouraged me to appeal once more regarding the course from the prior semester to the dean and to attach documentation from my counselor. The appeal was rejected for the second time. I was able to pass one of my courses and failed in the other. I had tried my best to catch up in ENGL100 but by that time there just wasn¿¿t anything more I could do. I understand in each of these circumstances I was irresponsible and acted too late. I should¿¿ve taken lesson from my previously failed courses and understood the patterns I had begun to form. However, the timing of my academic failures does in fact coincide with the problems that started in my home and had my appeal to late drop been granted I likely would not have been required to withdraw.That being said, I have, with the help of frequent counselling, begun to detach the struggles within my family from my own person. I¿¿ve learned I can not let the battles at home determine how my life will turn out. This is not a battle I have won within myself, it is a daily struggle, however I am at a much better place today having acknowledged it and being able to use the tools I need to work on it. Once again, I take full responsibility for neglecting my mental health and ignoring the warning signs and repeated patterns in my own behaviour, my reasoning for this is because at the time I did not want to believe I had a mental health issue. I thought if I just denied it enough it would go away, and my school life would go back to normal along with it. I understand how naïve that may sound, but please note, coming from an African background, mental health is not something we speak of at all. In fact, up until recently many in our culture viewed it as non-existent and it is something I had to teach myself about. I am asking for empathy regarding my situation and a chance to prove myself. I would also like to make a special request, that you look to my achievements this summer semester. I am in summer school this semester taking 3 courses. I decided to repeat ENGL100 at the suggestion of the professor after failing it in Winter, though I had previously passed the course with a C-. If I am able to achieve good standing in all 3 courses this semester I feel that would be a testament to the hard work I have put into my mental health, and also show that I am ready and able to continue in my academic studies.