Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

Hello, my name is Sara Gray, and I am in my third year of Political Studies and Art History. I am seeking an appeal through this letter with the hopes of appealing an incomplete grade I received in POLS 261, in my second year of studies (2019).

I require this appeal because of a diagnosis I received of severe depression in 2019. Though I have suffered from this disorder for most of my life, my mental health spiralled to a point where it was out of control at its untreated peak in 2019. I chose to seek help, as I was suffering both personally and academically. 2019 was a challenging year for several reasons, my incredibly toxic and uneasy home life made it difficult to function, issues with my mental health had me seriously considering dark paths rather than moving forward, and IBS symptoms that coincide with depressive episodes kept me away from my classes. I was entirely unable to function most days, with a heavy burden on my mind and my body, and pressure from what felt like all directions. I spent all the time I could laying in bed, unable to escape the heaviness that hung around me like a black curtain.

During this time I was taking a full course load. I took International Relations with Professor Nossal in the Fall term of 2019. I never completed the course due to my poor health, and Professor Nossal was kind enough to offer me an extension for the exam. Unfortunately, the following semester, Professor Nossal went on sabbatical and never responded to my email inquiring about completing the course. Therefore I am sending this letter to find an accommodation to finally complete this exam or perhaps formulate a manner in which I may possibly be credited for the work I did complete in this course. I have now taken more international relations courses and I believe I could complete the exam. I require 33 units to complete my degree. This course would fill in the 3 units in my degree plan that are missing in order to graduate. If not, I would have to make up the units over the Summer and I am struggling to find the finances to cover another course, especially, because I must work over the Summer to finance my fourth year and taking a Summer course may jeopardize my ability to do so.

I have since begun attending therapy, and after several months, and removing myself from an unhealthy living environment, I have been able to commit wholeheartedly to fixing and maintaining my mental health. My health at the time made it impossible to complete the course work and my grades suffered drastically as a result. Appealing these grades and completing POLS 261 would allow me to complete my degree on time.

Additionally, my mental health issues are ongoing and have made it difficult to write this letter. I had no knowledge of the possibility of an appeal process thus, this is why I am reaching out years after the initial issue. I have been in touch with Kerri Andrews, of Academic Advising who encouraged me to seek out this appeal because of special circumstances though the initial deadline has passed. I hope you can make special consideration for my case considering the nature of my life at the time and the timeline of events I have presented to you.
Thank you for your consideration and time. If you have any questions or need further clarification, I am available to do so. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Warm regards,

Sara Gray,
20113040.