Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Barbara Crow
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science
94 University Avenue Dunning Hall
Kingston ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

RE: Request for removal of Phys 117 from transcript

Dear Dr. Crow,

My name is Mary Quinton, I am a second-year student in the faculty of Arts and Science. I am writing to ask your permission to remove PHYS 117 from my transcript. PHYS 117 was a full year course that I was enrolled in during the 2021-2022 academic year, my first year at Queen??s University. During this time, COVID-19 was still very much at the forefront of day-to-day life and in-person instruction was suspended for January and February of 2022 due to the rise of the Omicron variant. I struggled greatly during the move to the online format. I have a major anxiety disorder and I found it extremely challenging to adapt to online learning whilst the uncertainties and dangers of the pandemic were rising. My mental health began deteriorating and it presented a major obstacle to my ability to learn. It created a ripple effect where negative outcomes of my coursework contributed to further anxiety and depression lapses. I began having panic attacks on a regular basis and struggled to take care of myself in very basic ways. Despite my best efforts under these circumstances, the outcomes of my courses were not an accurate reflection of my academic potential, and that is deeply disheartening and distressing to me. I was not able to pass PHYS 117, and because of a failing grade in my other online course as well (MATH121), I was placed on academic probation in May, 2022.

Since this period, I was fortunate to receive mental health treatment and currently I am in regular contact with my psychologist for bi-weekly cognitive behavioral therapy. This has been an invaluable source of support to help manage stress and compartmentalize academic success skills. I am also making sure to ask for help from professors and TAs when needed so that don??t fall into a pattern of becoming overwhelmed and anxious by triggers. I have experienced the slippery slope of not properly taking care of myself and the negative impacts of that and I am working very hard to ensure that this will never happen again.

I sincerely hope you will consider my request to have PHYS 117 removed from my transcript. I strongly believe that this would give me a fair chance to demonstrate my capabilities and reach my academic potential now that we have returned to in-person learning and I am receiving the adequate support for my mental health.


Respectfully,

Mary Quinton,
2nd year undergraduate student
Faculty of Arts and Science,
Queens University