Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop BIOL 321 (Winter, 2022). I have been facing difficulties with my mental health for many years, with certain times being worse than others. This has been a hindrance in my academic performance for a while. Despite these feelings and lack of motivation, I do have a goal of graduating and receiving my bachelor??s degree. I am currently taking a 5th year, although I have been doing my best to keep my academic requirements in order and keep track of the courses I need to graduate. This past winter semester I was enrolled in BIOL 321, BIOL 360, BIOL 336, PATH 310, and PHAR 380.

I was hoping to turn things around academically and get back on track, although it is not as easy as it seems when living with mental health issues. I have been working on this, as I regularly see a psychiatrist, and have begun taking medication for my diagnosis this past summer. Regarding Winter 2022 in particular, I was not only battling my mental health troubles, but I was also battling a severe hand injury, in which I severed two tendons and a nerve with a knife while cooking. This injury required surgery, painkillers, antibiotics, and months of physiotherapy, as well as being in a hand cast for 8 weeks. Furthermore, after removing the cast I was not expected to regain full finger function for another 4-5 months, if ever. This is one of the major reasons why I fell behind in the Winter semester. The injury occurred on February 11th of this year and thus it impacted my ability to complete the rest of my assessments for the remainder of the winter semester.

This injury had both physical and mental impacts on my life. Physically, I could not type efficiently to complete assignments as I only had one hand available, I was very tired for weeks after the surgery due to the prescription painkillers I had to take, and I was overall less energized and happy due to my inability to do normal things that I enjoyed such as exercise at the gym. I also had to do physiotherapy once my surgery wound closed, which involved hand exercises to strengthen the tendons as they healed which had to be done every two hours for 12 weeks. This was a lot to deal with as a student with a full course load, and therefore this injury also impacted my mental health. The stress caused by the courses I was falling behind in due to this injury made me lose the hope that I had for my future. I was feeling much more anxious and worried about everything, and those feelings took a toll on my academic performance as well. Despite this, I was still taking steps to deal with these circumstances by continuing to see my psychiatrist and following up with the surgeon for my hand injury. Furthermore, this past summer I began taking medication for my mental health diagnosis as I am still working towards achieving the goals that I set out for myself.

When this injury occurred, I had not realized how long the healing process would take and how much of a toll it would take on my mental health and academics. I was hoping to be able to finish my courses eventually, even if it meant requesting an IN grade and finishing them in the summer. Therefore, I did not drop this course before the drop deadline because I was hoping to receive the credit for it by finishing my assessments by the end of the term, or by requesting an IN and finishing it in the summer. Unfortunately, due to the troubles I was facing both mentally and physically after my injury and with my mental health issues, I was unable to finish 4/5 of my winter term courses by the end of April. I finished BIOL 336 on time, as it was the course I was the most ahead in before the injury occurred, and I was able to receive an IN grade in BIOL 360, PATH 310, and PHAR 380 which have now been completed. Unfortunately, the only course I was not able to receive an IN in was BIOL 321, and thus I am requesting to drop it. Therefore, it is evident that all of my courses were impacted by my circumstances with the difference being that I was unable to get an IN grade for BIOL 321 due to unresponsiveness from the professor so I am hoping I can now drop the course late.

My plan for the future is to continue my academics and achieve my goal of graduating this spring. Therefore, I would like to drop BIOL 321 late and finish the other requirements for my program while addressing my physical and mental health. Regarding the injury, I have adapted to typing with 3 of the fingers on my left hand as I am still not able to flex or extend the injured tendons normally. Therefore, this injury has healed for the most part and is having less of an impact on my academics, but I am not able to type as efficiently as I used to be. Despite this, I have gotten accustomed to living with this injury and thus am aiming to make a successful return to my studies. Furthermore, I have been maintaining regular meetings with a psychiatrist and psychologist which help me navigate my diagnosis, manage my stress and anxiety, as well as help me make goals for myself academically. These plans will help me achieve my academic goals, as I will be more capable of managing the impact that my extenuating circumstances had on my studies.