Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 10785
Submitted: July 11, 2023 at 1:46:21 PM
First Name: James
Last Name: Lew
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: James
Student Number: 3163547
Email: 61jsl1@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: LIBS
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dr. Stephenson - Associate Dean (Academic),
I am seeking an exemption from the 1-year time limitation in order to proceed with dropping several past courses that were negatively impacted by an undiagnosed learning disability while a student at Queen's.
My academic success upon return to Queen’s this fall will be overshadowed by my past difficulties which were caused by an undiagnosed condition, ADHD. I attended Queen's University intermittently between 1990 and 2001 and faced numerous academic difficulties during this period. I also had a few academic successes, but in hindsight, it is now clear why this pattern emerged. Around 1998, I began seeking help from counselling offered by Queen’s. Eventually, my counselor (Carole) and I came to the same conclusion, and we suspected I had undiagnosed ADHD which would explain the academic and personal issues I had been experiencing. Carole assisted in making the required arrangements in getting me professionally diagnosed through Queen’s psychiatrist, Dr. Brian McNevin. In 1999, he confirmed that I had ADHD and we began seeking a treatment plan, which initially consisted of trying a variety of medications, one at a time, to find a regimen with the desired effect. In the 2000-2001 school year, we finally found a medication that seemed to start working. Also, I was being directed to services on campus which actually didn't exist. For example, I was told to attend Douglas Library to inquire about getting my textbooks converted to a digital format, but this service wasn't in place. At this time, Queen’s did not have the robust support system it does now and accommodations were nearly non-existent, and I was often directed to services that weren't in place. Additionally, some of the supports suggested were simply not commonplace in this time period - e-texts, Palm Pilots and other digital devices were in their infancy and not well supported. Because of my academic failures, I was subsequently asked to withdraw from Queen’s for a period of 3 years. Looking back, it was likely the best decision given the limited support and technology available at the time.
After departing Queen's, I entered the workforce, got married and began a “normal” life. I was working for Bell Canada when they closed the Kingston call centre location. I went back to school through an employment insurance retraining program and successfully completed a 3-year diploma program at St. Lawrence College. I had been on my ADHD medication for some time at this point. During my time at SLC, I received appropriate accommodations and support which allowed me to complete the Computer Programmer Analyst program with distinction, achieving a GPA of 3.68. This proved that when I have been afforded the right support and medication, I am a very successful student.
In 2019 I met with former Principal Woolf to express my frustrations with my experiences at Queen’s and the lack of support that was available when I was a student. I conveyed my concerns about a staff member in the Dean's office making inappropriate comments to me about my academic difficulties, even suggesting that I was faking my disability. Principal Woolf explained that this was not the first time he had heard this kind of story and admitted Queen’s could have done a much better job in those days of supporting students such as myself. He encouraged me to return to studies at Queen’s and take advantage of the services that Queen’s now offers. Then COVID happened and my plans to return were delayed. This past spring, I applied to Queen’s and was re-accepted based on my academic success at St. Lawrence College. Even though I will not be continuing my Computer Science Degree, I will be pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, which has a more flexible curriculum. Upon readmission, I immediately began the process of connecting with various staff from Arts & Science, Liberal Studies and most importantly QSAS. My accommodations have been set and I have taken the steps to acquire the necessary technology supports I will need. My wife is a lifelong learner and she also provides me with additional support. With these supports in place, I have no doubt I will be successful this time and I am looking forward to resuming my studies.
I would like to address any questions regarding why I did not drop certain courses earlier, or why I chose to take them in the first place. ADHD is a strange condition - in some facets of life, you become hyper-focused while in others you are extremely distracted. Priorities become blurred, sending you down a rabbit hole of related issues. In my mind during this time, I was driven to keep going, knowing I am not an unintelligent person. I found that coursework, exams, tests, and other activities would often distract me from my focus. Additionally, I struggled to absorb and process information from some theoretical, non-interactive courses. I had to take Psych 100 multiple times before I achieved success. However, the repeated exposure to the course material eventually had a cumulative effect that helped me succeed. These issues have now been managed with medication and with the accommodations set up by QSAS.
I currently work for the City of Kingston full-time as a systems analyst. My plan is to complete this new Liberal Studies degree by taking one course per semester to manage the material and achieve a work-life balance. I would very much like to finish what I began all those years ago by finally achieving a Queen’s degree and I am fully committed to achieving this goal. I do not expect to have the same type of difficulties as I did previously.
If this petition is approved, I plan to file another petition to remove the courses from my academic history that negatively impacted my GPA and caused me significant difficulty. I hope to alleviate the academic pressure caused by the incomplete courses and failures on my transcript. These issues weigh heavily on me and could negatively impact my future success at Queen's University. Should they be removed from my transcript, it would eliminate another obstacle to my learning.
The following is a list of the courses I will be petitioning to be retroactively dropped:
Winter 1991: CISC 124, PSYC 100B
Winter 1992: CISC 124, MATH 111B, PHYS P14
Fall 1997: CISC 201
Winter 1998: CISC 260, PHYS 214
Summer 1998: PHIL 258
Winter 1999: CISC 202, CISC 324, PHIL 158, PHYS 214, PSYC 235B
Summer 1999: PHIL 157, PSYC 260, RELS 131B
Fall 1999: CISC 203, CISC 366
Winter 2000: CISC 204, CISC 260, MATH 111B
Fall 2000: PHIL 258
Winter 2001: CISC 204, MATH 111B, PSYC 235B
I am seeking an exemption from the 1-year time limitation in order to proceed with dropping several past courses that were negatively impacted by an undiagnosed learning disability while a student at Queen's.
My academic success upon return to Queen’s this fall will be overshadowed by my past difficulties which were caused by an undiagnosed condition, ADHD. I attended Queen's University intermittently between 1990 and 2001 and faced numerous academic difficulties during this period. I also had a few academic successes, but in hindsight, it is now clear why this pattern emerged. Around 1998, I began seeking help from counselling offered by Queen’s. Eventually, my counselor (Carole) and I came to the same conclusion, and we suspected I had undiagnosed ADHD which would explain the academic and personal issues I had been experiencing. Carole assisted in making the required arrangements in getting me professionally diagnosed through Queen’s psychiatrist, Dr. Brian McNevin. In 1999, he confirmed that I had ADHD and we began seeking a treatment plan, which initially consisted of trying a variety of medications, one at a time, to find a regimen with the desired effect. In the 2000-2001 school year, we finally found a medication that seemed to start working. Also, I was being directed to services on campus which actually didn't exist. For example, I was told to attend Douglas Library to inquire about getting my textbooks converted to a digital format, but this service wasn't in place. At this time, Queen’s did not have the robust support system it does now and accommodations were nearly non-existent, and I was often directed to services that weren't in place. Additionally, some of the supports suggested were simply not commonplace in this time period - e-texts, Palm Pilots and other digital devices were in their infancy and not well supported. Because of my academic failures, I was subsequently asked to withdraw from Queen’s for a period of 3 years. Looking back, it was likely the best decision given the limited support and technology available at the time.
After departing Queen's, I entered the workforce, got married and began a “normal” life. I was working for Bell Canada when they closed the Kingston call centre location. I went back to school through an employment insurance retraining program and successfully completed a 3-year diploma program at St. Lawrence College. I had been on my ADHD medication for some time at this point. During my time at SLC, I received appropriate accommodations and support which allowed me to complete the Computer Programmer Analyst program with distinction, achieving a GPA of 3.68. This proved that when I have been afforded the right support and medication, I am a very successful student.
In 2019 I met with former Principal Woolf to express my frustrations with my experiences at Queen’s and the lack of support that was available when I was a student. I conveyed my concerns about a staff member in the Dean's office making inappropriate comments to me about my academic difficulties, even suggesting that I was faking my disability. Principal Woolf explained that this was not the first time he had heard this kind of story and admitted Queen’s could have done a much better job in those days of supporting students such as myself. He encouraged me to return to studies at Queen’s and take advantage of the services that Queen’s now offers. Then COVID happened and my plans to return were delayed. This past spring, I applied to Queen’s and was re-accepted based on my academic success at St. Lawrence College. Even though I will not be continuing my Computer Science Degree, I will be pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, which has a more flexible curriculum. Upon readmission, I immediately began the process of connecting with various staff from Arts & Science, Liberal Studies and most importantly QSAS. My accommodations have been set and I have taken the steps to acquire the necessary technology supports I will need. My wife is a lifelong learner and she also provides me with additional support. With these supports in place, I have no doubt I will be successful this time and I am looking forward to resuming my studies.
I would like to address any questions regarding why I did not drop certain courses earlier, or why I chose to take them in the first place. ADHD is a strange condition - in some facets of life, you become hyper-focused while in others you are extremely distracted. Priorities become blurred, sending you down a rabbit hole of related issues. In my mind during this time, I was driven to keep going, knowing I am not an unintelligent person. I found that coursework, exams, tests, and other activities would often distract me from my focus. Additionally, I struggled to absorb and process information from some theoretical, non-interactive courses. I had to take Psych 100 multiple times before I achieved success. However, the repeated exposure to the course material eventually had a cumulative effect that helped me succeed. These issues have now been managed with medication and with the accommodations set up by QSAS.
I currently work for the City of Kingston full-time as a systems analyst. My plan is to complete this new Liberal Studies degree by taking one course per semester to manage the material and achieve a work-life balance. I would very much like to finish what I began all those years ago by finally achieving a Queen’s degree and I am fully committed to achieving this goal. I do not expect to have the same type of difficulties as I did previously.
If this petition is approved, I plan to file another petition to remove the courses from my academic history that negatively impacted my GPA and caused me significant difficulty. I hope to alleviate the academic pressure caused by the incomplete courses and failures on my transcript. These issues weigh heavily on me and could negatively impact my future success at Queen's University. Should they be removed from my transcript, it would eliminate another obstacle to my learning.
The following is a list of the courses I will be petitioning to be retroactively dropped:
Winter 1991: CISC 124, PSYC 100B
Winter 1992: CISC 124, MATH 111B, PHYS P14
Fall 1997: CISC 201
Winter 1998: CISC 260, PHYS 214
Summer 1998: PHIL 258
Winter 1999: CISC 202, CISC 324, PHIL 158, PHYS 214, PSYC 235B
Summer 1999: PHIL 157, PSYC 260, RELS 131B
Fall 1999: CISC 203, CISC 366
Winter 2000: CISC 204, CISC 260, MATH 111B
Fall 2000: PHIL 258
Winter 2001: CISC 204, MATH 111B, PSYC 235B
Documentation
Professional Letter: JL - Letter of support.pdf
Document: McNevin 1999.pdf
Document: McNevin 2000.pdf