Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear The Associate Dean of Studies,

I am appealing to have my grade in HIST 201taken in Winter of 2018 changed to credit standing (CR). During this time, I had one of my roommates commit multiple suicide attempts which then affected my already ongoing mental health issues. This affected my ability to attend classes and properly focus on my coursework.

Over the past two years I have been seriously struggling with mental health issues, which unfortunately when combined with my roommate¿¿s mental health crises 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 in order for me to understand the key information and ID terms that would be on my 3 separate midterms in HIST 201. These events also affected my sleep and focus, thus preventing me from being able to study for these tests to my best ability. Many nights I would be up with my roommate making sure she stayed safe, thus meaning my brain was not able to function at its best. This caused my anxiety issues to become worse. I attempted to seek help from both Professor Collins and the TA¿¿s who graded my work, however these were not enough to overcome my mental health issues. In addition, it was difficult to get productive work done because I

I have a strong future plan to ensure that will ensure these issues 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. My roommate has also sought her own personal treatment, and should not have another mental health crisis. 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 have begun the process of 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