Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am writing to you today to appeal to late drop GPHY367. Since April 2019, I have been suffering from mental health issues. In the spring of 2019, my mental health had affected me so badly that I was diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety, resulting in regular check-ups with my family physician to ensure I was taking care of myself adequately. I had attributed my bad mental health to burnout, in which case I took the summer of 2019 to focus on work and take time away from school. The next year had resulted in me dropping many courses in the fall term of 2019 and winter term of 2020, as I was not eating, could not get out of bed, and was constantly overwhelmed by anxiety when it came to writing assignments. Even at this moment, writing this very letter, I am forced to regulate my breathing, hold back tears, and try to calm my shaking hands. In October 2019, my family doctor advised me to try medication to alleviate some of the debilitating effects of my anxiety. The following months resulted in me oversleeping, many times not waking up until 7 PM, as the medication I was on was very sedating. While trying to find the medication that best suited me, I had a constant feeling of nausea and mood swings from the changes.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, a new wave of concerns erupted. I could no longer see my therapist for cognitive behavioural therapy, and my ??homework? my therapist had assigned me to try to alleviate my anxiety was now impossible to do. I was stuck at home to constantly hear from my parents that my mental health issues were ??something I had to get over?. I hardly ate, barely left my room, and slept constantly to avoid my overwhelming anxiety. I had never felt worse about myself in my entire life than I have in 2020 and 2021.

In the fall of 2020, I thought that I had gotten hold of my anxiety and decided I was ready to complete my undergrad. I enrolled in DEVS393 and GPHY367 and was very excited to get back into learning. While I attended online lectures and successfully completed readings to participate in class, I still had an overwhelming feeling of anxiety when it came to writing assignments. The way I have always described it is as a feeling of paralysis, in which case I physically cannot write the words or ideas I see in my head. I had decided to communicate what was happening to Professor McDonald and Professor Rosenberg, and they kindly granted me extensions and tried their best to accommodate my health issues. Taking my LOA into consideration, both professors kindly granted me an IN in their respective courses so I could take my own time to complete their course work into the Winter term of 2021. Determined to complete their course work, I made myself an agenda, asked my parents for physical and emotional support, and tried my best to complete DEVS393 and GPHY367. Going in and out of lockdown during this time was not easy. Again, I had no access to the basic health needs that were suggested by my health care provider. I could not leave the house to be social, visit the gym, or go to therapy. While cognitive behavioural therapy was available to me on zoom, I only completed one session, as being at home in lockdown allowed me to easily avoid therapy while I was in a depressive state.

While I successfully completed DEVS393, it did not come without struggle. My anxiety and depression were terrible in the winter term of 2021. I am emotional writing this, but I absolutely hated myself and was in a hole during this time. My anxiety was so bad that I had requested Professor McDonald to change an exam date for me three different times because I was so overwhelmed with emotional distress at all hours. I was unconsciously scratching my legs, arms, back, and fingers to the point of bleeding. I became worried about this habit and brought it up to my therapist, David Tofts, in April of 2021. He became concerned, as he had initially thought it to be self-harm. I was reluctant to agree, and he advised I discuss it with my doctor, as it is often an OCD tick. My doctor later confirmed this in June of 2021 and diagnosed me with OCD. After my diagnosis, we went ahead and altered my medication to best suit me.

The summer of 2021 allowed me to become accustomed to my medication that better suited my OCD traits. At this time, I was no longer seeing a therapist as I wanted all my time to go to finishing GPHY367, as well as trying to understand myself more as a person with OCD traits. As you may know, many parents do not understand mental health. My house was full of arguments surrounding the concerns as to why I had not completed my undergraduate degree yet, when I would get over my ??mental health bump?, and when I would just ??move on with my life?. This was obviously not supportive and would drive me to oversleep and not eat. In January 2022, Professor Rosenberg reached out letting me know it would be best if I complete my final essay for GPHY367 so that I may move on and focus on my health. I strongly agreed, as I was so exhausted and I realized not only do I need to take time off school, but I need to invest my time into therapy to make a strong change in my mental health. I tried my best in January to complete the essay, but once again, I was so overwhelmed with emotional distress I physically could not handle writing my essay. Professor Rosenberg advised that I appeal to late drop his course and take time off.

While I have been avoiding writing this appeal since February 2022, I realize Professor Rosenberg is right and has my best interest at heart. June 2021 has been a turning point for my health, but the changes I have seen in myself since February 2022 are truly life-changing, although I am disappointed I could not complete my essay for GPHY367. I have gained my weight back as I am eating normally. My friends and family often comment on my smile, stating that I look much healthier. I still sometimes oversleep to avoid my responsibilities, but never to the point where I cannot bear to get out of bed and function. Moving forward, my plans include investing in cognitive behavioural therapy to get to the root of my OCD and understand my triggers better, as well as take time off school to focus on my health until I am certain I am in a place to continue my education. I have been very stubborn when it has come to taking time off school because I was embarrassed to admit that I had mental health problems and that help was necessary. I now realize that all this has done is cause me and my family a lot of distress over the past few years. I am ready to take action for my health. I am asking for assistance to help me get back on my feet. I am looking forward to the opportunity where I can delve into a course in the future and be proud of the work I submit and truly feel that it reflects my work ethic.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kind regards,

Serene

P.S. I apologize if I left anything out of this letter. I have truly been incredibly anxious writing this letter. Please contact me if anything is to be clarified.