Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: April 4, 2021
To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter to appeal in hopes to have the academic penalty for a late drop of the course MATH 387 waived. This semester, my academic progress was significantly impacted by a traumatic event when a friend had a medical emergency and died while I was at their house. I would like to drop the course, retaking it next year (if offered) and otherwise not be penalized academically.

On February 28th, 2021 I was at my girlfriend's house when we heard her housemate, Tim, snoring loudly in his room. We were concerned and debated going to wake him up, but when it sounded regular, we decided to mention it to him in the morning instead. That decision will haunt me for the rest of my life as I later found out that was the last anyone ever heard from him and that his 'snoring' was likely the sound of him dying.

On March 3rd, my girlfriend called me and told me that they had found Tim dead in his bed. We learned that Tim had struggled previously a drug addiction and the police suspected an overdose.

The week after felt like I was moving in slow motion. Even though the police, Tim's father, and crisis counsellors from Student Wellness assured me that it was not our fault, I could not stop replaying that night and wondering if we could have saved him; If my girlfriend would have checked on him if I was not there; If he was afraid when he was dying alone. My ability to sleep and keep up with daily life was significantly affected. I cried unpredictably throughout each day, set off by things like making my morning coffee, a sunny day he would never see, and seeing young men close to his age on the street. It took hours to send the 40-word email to my professors explaining the situation.

The following week, I did my best to attend classes but found myself forgetting meeting times, unable to focus on the lectures I did attend, and feeling exhausted at tiny tasks. With each passing day, I felt further behind in my courses and more hopeless about finishing the semester. I was not able see the end of feeling so guilty and terrible and began to think about suicide. On March 16th, I reached out to my Student Wellness agent who wrote me a week-long, short-term academic accommodation for severe impairment, and I went home to my parent's house.
With permission, space, and support to grieve, I began to move through my guilt and grief. Today, as I write this letter, I am in my third week working with a Student Wellness Counsellor and an occupational therapist to get back on track. I am optimistic about finishing my other three courses with support and extensions from my professors. However, I do not believe I will be able to finish MATH 387, a course I was struggling in before Tim's death in Week 7. As it stands, I have missed 92 of the course material (with 40 of the final grade coming from assignments and 60 coming from a final project).

As we approach the end of the regular term, I know it is not feasible for me to catch up on six weeks of learning and coursework in addition to my other courses before the course deadline. Even with an 'incomplete' extension past the deadline, I believe my learning experience would not be comparable to a regular course of study since I am beginning a full-time job in May (in addition taking two courses in the May-June study period). I would also be missing the major component of being able to discuss my learning and questions with my classmates, something that has been essential to my learning in past classes.

I ask you to please consider making an exception to the academic penalty for a late drop, as the impairment I experienced after the shock of Tim's death has had unexpected and exceptional effects on my abilities to complete the catch-up needed to be successful in this course. My performance in MATH 387 reflects a student struggling to cope with a traumatic event and loss, rather than being an accurate reflection of my potential and abilities.

Please reach out to me if any further information is needed. I have attached the two short-term academic accommodation forms filled out by Student Wellness Services and have also attached their contact information for verification.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Ellen Ford
20077017
(613) 284-6569