Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Rachel Harris (student number 10104308) and I am appealing the 21-day deadline to drop courses.
For the past two years I have been struggling with the delayed effects of having a clinically diagnosed narcissistic psychopathic father. My parents divorced shortly after my father's diagnosis, but a therapist who evaluated me at the time made it clear that I would feel the effects sometime in the future. At the beginning of my second year of university I began having trouble finishing homework, handing in assignments, making my way to class, and even getting out of bed. I began to fail courses but I could not understand why I was experiencing such a sudden change, and I was too embarrassed to reach out for help. I did not appeal my two failed courses (DRAM 200, DRAM 220) within the 21-day deadline because I could not figure out what the problem was and I didn't think I could ask others for help. Over the summer of 2015 I began to see a therapist who identified the change as depression, most likely caused by the interaction with and then loss of my father. I worked with this therapist throughout the summer and I have included a letter outlining her conclusions from our meetings. In an effort to further improve my schoolwork and mindset I attended weekly meetings with a therapist in Kingston for the entire 2016 Winter semester. Before I was able to schedule meetings with the Kingston therapist I began to struggle with one of my fall semester courses: PSYC 251. I began to look into additional resources that would help me understand my mindset and difficulty keeping up my work. I scheduled a psychological assessment from professional James Little that took place throughout early August of 2016. It was only after I received his results and recommendations that I was able to come up with a plan that suited my specific needs.
There are three main parts to my future plan if my appeal is granted and the 21-day deadline is dropped. First, I will submit an appeal requesting a late drop for the courses DRAM 200, DRAM 220, and PSYCH 251. Second, I will retake PSYC 251 in the Fall semester 2016. Third, I will follow the professional opinions and advice from my psychological evaluation to keep on top of my schoolwork. The evaluation stressed that I have trouble remembering and understanding course content and assignment dates. I plan to keep a detailed calendar to remind me of my schedule, ask for clarification as much as I need in class, and take detailed notes in class to remember content. In addition to these steps, I will be more mindful of drop dates and make sure to drop any future courses before the deadline.
Thank you for your time,
Rachel Harris
My name is Rachel Harris (student number 10104308) and I am appealing the 21-day deadline to drop courses.
For the past two years I have been struggling with the delayed effects of having a clinically diagnosed narcissistic psychopathic father. My parents divorced shortly after my father's diagnosis, but a therapist who evaluated me at the time made it clear that I would feel the effects sometime in the future. At the beginning of my second year of university I began having trouble finishing homework, handing in assignments, making my way to class, and even getting out of bed. I began to fail courses but I could not understand why I was experiencing such a sudden change, and I was too embarrassed to reach out for help. I did not appeal my two failed courses (DRAM 200, DRAM 220) within the 21-day deadline because I could not figure out what the problem was and I didn't think I could ask others for help. Over the summer of 2015 I began to see a therapist who identified the change as depression, most likely caused by the interaction with and then loss of my father. I worked with this therapist throughout the summer and I have included a letter outlining her conclusions from our meetings. In an effort to further improve my schoolwork and mindset I attended weekly meetings with a therapist in Kingston for the entire 2016 Winter semester. Before I was able to schedule meetings with the Kingston therapist I began to struggle with one of my fall semester courses: PSYC 251. I began to look into additional resources that would help me understand my mindset and difficulty keeping up my work. I scheduled a psychological assessment from professional James Little that took place throughout early August of 2016. It was only after I received his results and recommendations that I was able to come up with a plan that suited my specific needs.
There are three main parts to my future plan if my appeal is granted and the 21-day deadline is dropped. First, I will submit an appeal requesting a late drop for the courses DRAM 200, DRAM 220, and PSYCH 251. Second, I will retake PSYC 251 in the Fall semester 2016. Third, I will follow the professional opinions and advice from my psychological evaluation to keep on top of my schoolwork. The evaluation stressed that I have trouble remembering and understanding course content and assignment dates. I plan to keep a detailed calendar to remind me of my schedule, ask for clarification as much as I need in class, and take detailed notes in class to remember content. In addition to these steps, I will be more mindful of drop dates and make sure to drop any future courses before the deadline.
Thank you for your time,
Rachel Harris