Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,

My name is Hayley Ellmann, I am a second-year Arts & Science student requesting accommodation due to mental health reasons. Please see my appeal request and reasoning below.

I am requesting a late drop in Religion Studies 131, to receive credit standing in Econ 111, and to receive an extension in the classes where I have incomplete grades in the course work, including Writing 120, Spanish 111, and Biology 111. If an extension in Writing 120, Biology 11, and Spanish 111 is not possible, I would like to be considered for a late drop instead. ??

During the winter term, I was exposed to covid-19 and was unable to attend the final few weeks in person of my Spanish 111 course. Although I was approved to continue the course online by my professor, Francisco Zepeda Trujillo, I was unable to receive the accommodations for my final test and final exam. This was because the professor was unable to change the format from an in-person to an online exam. By the end of the course my parents had to fly me home due to the severity of my illness, but it was not enough for the accommodation board. It is my hope to complete the written test and the final exam at the end of this semester if possible. I was in contact with my professor, and he was aware of my circumstances and is more than willing to allow me to complete the course, by taking the final test and exam this semester. If not, I would like to have my grade dropped and I will retake the course this fall.

In addition to having covid and long-term side effects, I also struggled with the asynchronous structure of online classes. I started to have panic attacks and constant anxiety. I thought by taking summer courses from home my symptoms would improve but they took a turn for the worse. By not having that structure and in-person contact and relationships with my professors and peers, I was unable to connect and fell into a deep depression. I started out with some good grades in most of my classes but when receiving a few bad grades in Religion Studies, I felt like a failure and all my anxiety came back forcing me to shut down and stop my studies in all courses in mid-July. Although I was receiving good grades I still struggled with the online format and was unable to drop my courses due to the fact my break down was at the end of July passed the due date for dropping courses without academic penalty. My parents were traveling through the month of July, so I was all alone and didn??t know how to receive help, was embarrassed, and felt like a failure. I felt very alone and was scared to tell my parents. I became very depressed and couldn??t see a way out of the very serious situation I found myself in. I had trouble even getting out of bed, all I could do was sleep.

I would love the opportunity to complete those few classes that I was doing well in prior to my mental health crisis and have a fresh start to prove myself. To ensure that I am successful this semester and, in the future, I am receiving weekly counseling in Kingston. Through therapy, I will learn how to cope with my anxiety and gain confidence in myself to achieve the grades that I was accustomed to in high school. I have attached a letter from my psychologist, and she welcomes you to contact her if you have any further questions regarding my situation.


I am fortunate to have a wonderful TA, Shawn Robinson in Writing 120 who was very understanding of my situation and is willing to let me complete the course when I am ready to do so this semester. I was doing well in my economics class but missed several online quizzes when I was struggling with my religion class, but I did manage to take and pass the final exam. Ideally, I would like to receive an extension to finish the assignments or if you and the professor would prefer to grant credit standing due to the fact that I had received good grades prior to the mental breakdown. For Biology, I would appreciate being granted an extension to complete the final assignment. As for Religion Studies, I would like to be considered for a late drop as I was unable to complete the majority of that class.

If given the opportunity to be granted the appeal I promise to give my full effort and dedication to being the great student that I can be. I know that having in-person classes along with my therapy, there is no reason that I cannot succeed.

Thank you for your consideration,

Hayley Ellmann

20202651