Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing for an extension of the incomplete grade for POLS 590. I began POLS 590 in the fall of 2017, and was unable to complete the course by spring of 2018 due to my mental health.

Late in the fall 2017 semester, I began exhibiting signs of depression. It was difficult for me to see at the time, but those around me noticed that I became less focused on academics, and that I was isolating myself. I would go days at a time without leaving my apartment to socialize or even attend classes.

When I returned to school following the winter break, I began seeing a psychiatrist to help me with these issues. Even with this help, and later medication, I was still lacking the motivation to work as consistently and diligently as I had in previous years. I was so overwhelmed by how far behind I was in my coursework that I was paralyzed. It seemed easier for me to do nothing at all than it was to bring myself up to date. For weeks, I was getting so little sleep that I could barely function during the day, and then I began sleeping so much that there was hardly time left in the day to do what I needed to do. I fell even further behind in not only POLS 590, but also the other two courses I was taking in the winter semester.

My mental health issues had a greater impact on my work in POLS 590 than it did on my other courses. POLS 590 is the Political Studies honours thesis course, which is very much self-directed. It was so much more difficult to work up the motivation to make time for my thesis, and to actually research and write it. Furthermore, my supervisor was away on sabbatical for most of the year, which, while unrelated to my mental health, presented an additional hardship. My two other courses were both lecture courses with no tutorials and very few assignments, so while I fell behind on readings, I was not otherwise losing marks. I was able to pass the tests and exams with minimal effort and studying.

At the end of the semester, I explained my situation to my supervisor and the Undergraduate Chair of the Department of Political Studies. Both were, and continue to be, supportive of me. I went home in May with the intention of finishing my thesis over the summer while still seeking assistance from my psychiatrist in Kingston, but the change of environment and exhaustion from the situation proved to be further detrimental to my mood and productivity.

Since August, I have been seeing a psychologist in Toronto and will continue to be in touch with her throughout the year. With her guidance and the agreement of my professors, I decided to come back for the fall semester to finish my thesis instead of rushing it over the summer and starting in the MA program this fall as I had originally planned. I am hoping that, should this appeal be successful, I will be able to finish my thesis during the fall semester, and be able to re-apply to the MA program for next year.

Thank you very much for considering my appeal.


Best,

Lily Hacker (10146547)