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 receiving a credit (CR) standing in POLS 393 for a C-level grade with Professor Olivier Jacques course in my third year of studies during the Fall term (2020).

I require this appeal because of a diagnosis I received of severe depression and anxiety 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 2020. I chose to seek help and underwent intensive therapy sessions over the course of the first Covid lockdown beginning in April and continuing therapy until November of 2020. I was suffering both personally and academically.

I was initially put on an anxiety and depression medication which failed to curb my symptoms and as a result, I consistently struggled this year. After working with my physician, I began taking a new medication which for the first time in my life improved my symptoms and function, but I began this only after exam season in December of 2020 (at the suggestion of my physician due to possible side effects impairing me). However, I did suffer from withdrawals during exam season from my original medication. Moving to a new home took adjustment, and was at times quite challenging and jarring on my mental health and performance in the Fall semester of 2020.

Adjusting to online classes in 2019 made it very hard for me to keep my grades at a high level and the design of this course, in particular, was not conducive to grade improvement. I had trouble following Professor Jacques¿¿s teaching style, and the material was not presented in a simple way. I left the course having taken 47-pages of single-spaced typed notes, having watched every lecture, and having organized a study plan and study group prior to the exam, yet, I came out of the exam with a poor grade. I met with Professor Jacques, at 4:15 on Thursday, November 5, 2020, and asked for help and guidance in relation to the final exam material, but clearly, my strategies were for naught.

2020 was a challenging year for several reasons, my mental health kept me in a constantly numb and exhausted state, I considered suicide at the time rather than moving forward. Coinciding with the recurring depressive episodes, I suffered from IBS symptoms that coincide which quite literally kept me away from my classes and intending zoom meetings. Anxiety would cause these flare-ups. For both the midterm and final exams, I had to write my exams near the bathroom due to the short-time availability and the fact that the exams were 40 and 60, obviously incredibly anxiety-inducing.

I say all of this to make clear the fact that though I was impaired and struggling with my ongoing mental and physical disabilities I was consistently dedicated to this course. The testing did not offer leeway for improvement, the teaching aid, and intensive studying did not pay off, and I feel that the extenuating circumstances I experienced were beyond my control and affected my academic performance greatly. 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.