Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear The Associate Dean of Studies,

I am appealing the one term policy and am asking for the deadline to be waived to have my grades in SPAN 111 and ECON 110B changed to credit standing (CR). Before the winter term of 2018, I was unaware that it was a possibility to appeal my grades as a result of the extenuating circumstances that impacted my performance in these courses. Had I known that appealing was a possibility I would have appealed such grades within the required time period.

Over the past two years I have been seriously struggling with mental health issues, which unfortunately resulted in impacting my academic performance. I have struggled with anxiety issues which resulted in me being unable to leave my bedroom to attend classes. Class attendance was particularly important for SPAN 111 as that was a component of our grade as well as how I was best able to learn Spanish as a language. These anxiety issues also affected my sleep and focus, thus preventing me from being able to complete my assignments to my best ability. I attempted to seek outside tutoring and help, however these were not enough to overcome my mental health issues. In late February 2017, I finally sought out help at student wellness services through counselling and eventually medication but it took some time to work out how to better manage my anxiety.

I have a strong future plan to ensure that my mental health issues will not impact my academic performance in the future. I have ensured to follow more closely with both my home family doctor, as well with Student Wellness services to ensure that my medical problems are being appropriately treated. By doing this it will allow me to manage my medical issues and have the motivation to attend my classes, a key part of my academic success. By following closely with both these doctors, I am able to maintain my mental health and manage my stress levels. I have also begun to see a social worker who is helping me to change my patterns of thinking in regards to my mental health issues. She has been helping me come up with better coping strategies that are practical for my life. By having these coping strategies, I am better able to handle the demands of my degree.

Another key part of my academic plan is the types of courses I have enrolled myself in. Both of these courses were outside of what I my current degree plan. My strengths are not in language or math based courses, and so I have chosen a degree plan that works with my strengths. I am also registered in only 4 courses each term this up-coming school year, thus minimizing the amount of time I am required to be on campus. As this can be a challenge for me with my mental health issues, I have tried to set myself up for success. In addition to all of these strategies, I plan on registering with Accessibility services in order to provide myself with the appropriate resources. Through minimizing my class time, and close following with multiple medical professionals I will be able to succeed in my future studies.

Sincerely,

Kaelynn Anderson