Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am requesting to either drop or credit the courses I completed during Summer 2020 due to extenuating circumstances in my family.

I chose to take BCHM 218 during summer 2020 along with one other course (PHGY 216) as it was content, I had previously struggled with and ended up failing the course, and I saw summer as a perfect opportunity to do it again with little on my plate. Doing it during the summer term, especially with COVID allowed me to channel my focus into the courses, especially in those initial stages of the pandemic when everyone mostly remained in their houses. However, at the same time as I was in Canada my mother who lives in Dubai was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.

Initially I remained in my courses as I was stuck in Canada during the travel ban to Dubai with little to do and could still focus my time into the courses and its assignments. I was living with my cousin so she ensured I was taking care of myself eating, sleeping, and having someone to talk to about the burden of not being with my mum when she required me most and the worries I had about her diagnosis. However, when the UAE government granted my little sister and I special permission to come home in July the course work took a backseat to caretaking for my mother and my own personal mental health taking care of a loved one who is extremely ill.

Ever since being home my primary role has been to be a caretaker for my mum. This involves daily things around the house like cooking her food, helping to shower her, administering her medications, and cleaning the house daily to keep it sterile. In addition, I have also been attending chemo sessions, scans, and check-ups with the doctor alongside her. This requires me to be available to her whenever she needs it which while I am relieved to be home and able to do, is also physically and mentally taxing.

With the physical and emotional toll of grappling with losing a loved one the coursework I was doing took a backseat, to a point of my entering quizzes, assignments, and exams having not had a chance to even open slides and begin to study content. With COVID and having to be stuck in the house out of an abundance of caution so as not to bring any germs to my mum with her immune system down through multiple bouts of chemo there has been no break from thinking or dealing with her cancer diagnosis, and in so many ways no room to breathe. Our family is still going through this challenge with more chemo, a surgery, and radiation required.

I wish I could say I put my best effort into my courses because I did want to do well, but the circumstances at home prevented me from doing so. Feeling so low emotionally and worried about losing my mother and exhausted physically, keeping up with lectures became a burden. I also withdrew from all the extracurriculars I am a part of and was preparing for a new school year with because all these things have become trivial in the grand scheme of things for me. With the strain on everyone at home, my mother¿¿s doctor has been trying to help us through the mental aspect of the disease and reminding ourselves to take care of our mental well-being first and focus on my mum¿¿s healing before anything else. I have attached her letter she provided for me in case I had any issues with any personal things happening in my life (like school) as she knew the battle we were about to undertake and the long-road ahead. I also know talking to her that I have to be prepared to drop coursework again in the coming semesters if it means my mother needs more help.

I do hope you understand my circumstances and will grant my appeal.

Thank you in advance,
Alizah Beg