Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Greetings Dr. Stephenson,

I am petitioning to extend the incomplete grade I have for MATH 121/124 (fall-winter, 2022-23) and the deferred exam for BIOL 103 (winter, 2023). Alongside these extensions, I’m also petitioning to drop PHYS 115 (fall, 2022) and PHYS 116 (winter, 2023).

Throughout my first year at Queen’s, I suffered a great deal from the adverse effects of a condition that only worsened as the year went on. My condition is one that fluctuates in how severe the adverse effects are. The courses I’m petitioning for were very intensive in person, and as a result, it was very hard for me to attend as my symptoms are all ones that would keep me bedridden. For example, PHYS 115/116 had an in-person participation component that I had to make up for through other means because I was not healthy enough to attend class. Labs and tutorials in BIOL 103 and MATH 121/124 were also very difficult to attend. This contrasts the online classes I was taking where I had little to no issues in completing the courses because they gave me adequate time to recover. Starting the timeline from September of 2022 to November of 2022, I was keeping up with my coursework very easily and feeling well. In December, much later than the course drop deadline, I sent in an academic consideration request because my condition worsened for the first time most likely due to added stress from that period. It was impossible for me to even get out of bed some days during that stretch due to the excruciating joint pain. More notably though was the lack of motivation I began to feel in December. With these two symptoms in full effect, it became impossible for me to attend most of my exams as studying and reaching the exam locations became too difficult. The winter break allowed me to recover to a certain extent and speak to my doctor about what I could do. I was told to get some rest while she would communicate strategies with me on how to deal with my condition. I again had to postpone the exams because the relief was only temporary. During this time, I explained my circumstances to an advisor and sought out some council on what to do. They encouraged me to not do any assessments until I was feeling well. After the postponement, the burden on me was immensely alleviated and I was able to recover a great deal between January of 2023 and April of 2023. My condition greatly fluctuates in severity, and this showed as I regained my ability to do coursework in spring barring a couple colds. Though in April, I started feeling the worst of my condition in full as the stress began piling up and I didn’t have time between assessments to collect myself and recover. As this was past the drop point, I couldn’t drop the courses my condition was impeding the most. These courses also all happened to be in-person intensive, so it was natural I was facing great difficulty. My doctor would let me know that stress would be a big factor in the worsening of my condition. I was forced to delay the exams again alongside some of my winter ones and at this point I took my doctor’s advice to rest up and tackle them later. I believe I can finish BIOL 103, and MATH 121/124 sometime early next year given time to rest up.

Since my first year, I’ve sought help from advisors and set up a plan with QSAS after finally being told they could help me with my condition. My new accommodations helped me a great deal in the latter half of my summer courses. I’ve discussed in detail with my QSAS advisor what works best for me and will employ my accommodations the best way I can into the next year. My physics professor has personally helped me out by allowing me to take the equivalent of 115/116 in the summer online (PHYS 118), which is a lot more comfortable for me. On top of this, I will be receiving consistent support from my doctor regarding my condition throughout my second year. Also, I’ve been in communication with my MATH 121/124 and BIOL 103 professors about next steps while creating a plan. Finally, I will be taking mostly online classes while using Glean in my in-person classes to succeed most effectively. I am positive that with a plan developed alongside my professors I can complete my petitioned courses given my new accommodations and an adequate amount of time to rest between examinations.