Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: 14 May 2015

Dr. J Bénard Jessica Hooper
Associate Dean (Admission & Recruitment) 313 Silvertip Close
and Associate Dean (Studies) CANMORE AB
Faculty of Arts & Science T1W 1B6
94 University Avenue
Queens University
KINGSTON ON K7L 3N6

Dear Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing my final grade for Psychology 100; in particular my grade for the mid-term exam that I sat on Wednesday 3rd December 2014. My final grade for the course overall is B-, my grade for that exam was D-. I am appealing as guided by the definition seen in Academic regulations 18.3, and request a credit or aegrotat standing.

Since November 2014 I have been under the regular care of a registered counselor recommended by the Queens La Salle Clinic. The condition I receive treatment for is an anxiety disorder and depression. I sat my Psychology 100 mid-term exam after two months of declining mental health, culminating in a severe depressive state for the preceding week. My mental health dropped to its lowest ever, a situation I had not encountered before. I was not in a fit state of mind to investigate alternative measures, which led to me sitting the exam in a markedly unprepared mental state. I believe the resulting grade of D- was directly attributable to my illness, and not reflective of my abilities in this course.

On Friday 5th December I went to the walk-in clinic at CDK Family Medicine, and was referred to ER at Kingston General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. The doctors acknowledged my diagnosis, recommended a change in medication, and confirmed a worsening of my condition over the previous year. I provided the Exam Centre with a doctor¿¿s note regarding this visit.

I returned home in December 2014 and immediately met with Dr. Sheldon Walker in Calgary. Dr. Walker is now my regular psychologist when I am home from University. He referred me to Dr. Heidi Mack in Kingston, who I meet with every 2 weeks as part of my ongoing recovery. Regular consultations with Dr. Mack and Dr. Walker are now part of my routine. My family doctor has reviewed and implemented a new medical treatment regime. The combination of medical and psychological treatment since December/January 2015 is, I believe, a cornerstone to my future academic success. Early indications support this view, i.e. my grade in the Psychology 100 final exam of C+, and overall course grade of B-. Additionally, I would like to draw the appeal committee¿¿s attention to my grades in course work for Psychology 100 of 100.

I wish to declare Psychology as my Major in 2015/20156. To enable this I request either a credit for my mid-term exam (thus restoring my psychology grade to B+), or an aegrotat standing for the whole course (discounting my mid term exam grade). I believe I am capable of meeting the rigours of this course, and am committed to ensuring that I address any ongoing mental health issues as a key part of that success. Thank you for taking the time to review this appeal, and I look forward to hearing your response.

Yours sincerely,


Jessica Hooper