Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: November 27, 2018

Dear Dr. Bérnard,
I am appealing to drop CHEM 313 (Fall, 2018) after the drop deadline on November 2, 2018.
In October 2018, I was struggling with my treatment of depression with my medication. At this time, the medication I was taking did not feel effective, and this directly impacted my academic performance in all my courses. I was missing a significant number of classes and tutorials as a result of this. I reached out to my professor of CHEM 312 on October 10th, asking to submit the remaining part of an assignment late. On October 15th I contacted the same professor and explained my concerns with my grades in the course as a result of missing classes. This professor encouraged me to reach out to Student Wellness services. At this time, I called Allison Lavigne to book an appointment, however the appointment was not until October 30th. In the weeks leading up to the appointment I increased my anti-depressant dose myself. On October 29th I called my doctors office regarding this and an appointment was booked for November 9th. During this time frame, I wrote a quiz and assignment for CHEM 313, of which I received a failing grade in the quiz. On November 6th, I booked an appointment with Freeman Woolnough for Nov. 13th to discuss my mental health concerns (I am a Residence Don, so this service is available). I met with Allison on the 30th, however it was not until I met with my doctor that dropping a course was discussed. I have been in the process of trying to catch-up in my courses using online slides and notes, however CHEM 313 is taught with students taking notes in the lecture and missing these classes has put in me in a position where I do not feel it is possible to catch-up or pass the course. If my appeal is granted, I will retake CHEM 313 in the following Fall 2019 term. I have spoken to an academic advisor about reducing my course load to four courses for the following semester (Winter, 2019) to help me succeed academically. I have follow-up appointments booked with my doctor and Allison Lavigne to monitor my mental health to ensure my depression is being adequately treated.
Thank you for your consideration,
Taylor Drake