Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: The reason I am writing is to formally request that all grades from the 2021-2022 year be removed from my transcript. I came to Queens in the fall of 2021 as a first-year student with untreated depression. My father passed away at the end of my grade 8 school year in May 2017. After this family trauma. His untimely passing caused the onset of chronic depressive symptoms which worsened from grade 8 throughout high school and culminated in my first year at Queens when my social supports were removed for the first time. When I got into my first year at Queens I tried my best to function and handle the stress and new demands with extreme depression. While I wish I had felt comfortable seeking help, I felt too embarrassed to reach out due to the stigma of mental health. I felt I would be judged and looked down upon as if I was not strong enough to handle everything. During this time I struggled with low energy, low sad depressed mood, inability to concentrate, low appetite, and lack of self-care. I had no energy to get assignments done or go to class. The embarrassment and stress made it virtually impossible to get out of bed. I was in a very sad and low mood, and unable to find any pleasure in normal activities. This rendered me unable to concentrate or feel any motivation towards completing work. This feeling of being disabled led me to use substances as a way of self-medicating. I used alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine chronically. This caused the secondary problem of addiction in addition to my pre-existing depression. It became a negative cycle I could not get out of. All of these things persisted throughout the year until finally, my mother intervened and got me to start speaking with a therapist and my family physician to get these issues sorted out but It was too late. I was disabled and my courses were full-year courses, by the time I tried to get help, the courses were not salvageable and I required intensive inpatient treatment to recover. Once I knew there was nothing I could do about the courses my Mohter asked me to return home to seek treatment full-time. I then, attended Thousand Islands Addiction Rehab and Treatment Centre from June 10 2022 to July 10th, 2022 for mental health and substance abuse. I am pleased to say I have engaged successfully in the program and have been stable and living a lifestyle of recovery for 11 months. This includes being part of an ongoing community of recovery. In conclusion, I am asking to have all 4 of my courses (my whole 21/22 school year) erased from my record as at that time, I was disabled and it is not an accurate or fair representation of my academic abilities.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider my appeal.


Sincerely,
Andrew Hogarth