Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 11870
Submitted: May 10, 2024 at 12:51:12 PM
First Name: Isabelle
Last Name: Fulford
Pronoun: they
Preferred Name: Izzy
Student Number: 20264219
Email: 20iaf@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH BED
Plan: DRAM
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Code: DRAM 321
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Petition Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor's Name: Kelsey Jacobson
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),
I am petitioning to extend my IN grade for DRAM 321 (F23). I was unable to complete the course before the deadline for a multitude of reasons. I have a long history of severe mental health struggles and after an exceedingly difficult Fall semester, in January I was taken to the hospital for the fourth occasion in my time at Queen’s. The situation preceding and resulting in this hospital visit also left me with a complete inability to swallow pills, so I was also completely unmedicated for about two months, for the first time in 7 years. Although I have now been prescribed new medication since March, my medication has still been somewhat inconsistent due to having to completely start from scratch. My ADHD medication specifically started with a very low dose to see if I could tolerate it, so I wasn’t getting much out of it until rather recently. My deadline for completing this course was April 30th, which was the same deadline that I had for moving houses, and I had to begin my summer job and my Con Ed Practicum on the 29th. My stress levels have been so high and all I can think about is the pressure I am under. Once I’m at that point, it’s only a matter of time before my mental health plummets and my safety comes into question again. I wanted to finish DRAM 321 so badly, but I did not have enough hours in the day to catch up on my other courses, move houses, start a placement and a new job, and care for myself adequately. I am not resting at all right now; I have been sleeping for about 3-5 hours per night consistently for over three weeks now because my stress is so high that it is keeping me up at night.
My plan moving forward is to continue to work with my health care providers to improve my mental health in order to be able to increase my academic commitment in the future. I see my therapist every week, my occupational therapist every 1-2 weeks, and my psychiatrist every 3-6 weeks. Once my placement is over, and I am in a more regular routine, I will have enough time to spend working on my mental health and enough time to work toward completing this course. Further, I always experience far worse symptoms in the winter, and I have already (especially in this last week) started to feel some of those lift with the change of weather. This is a course that I have greatly enjoyed the content of and I believe it will be very valuable to complete.
I am petitioning to extend my IN grade for DRAM 321 (F23). I was unable to complete the course before the deadline for a multitude of reasons. I have a long history of severe mental health struggles and after an exceedingly difficult Fall semester, in January I was taken to the hospital for the fourth occasion in my time at Queen’s. The situation preceding and resulting in this hospital visit also left me with a complete inability to swallow pills, so I was also completely unmedicated for about two months, for the first time in 7 years. Although I have now been prescribed new medication since March, my medication has still been somewhat inconsistent due to having to completely start from scratch. My ADHD medication specifically started with a very low dose to see if I could tolerate it, so I wasn’t getting much out of it until rather recently. My deadline for completing this course was April 30th, which was the same deadline that I had for moving houses, and I had to begin my summer job and my Con Ed Practicum on the 29th. My stress levels have been so high and all I can think about is the pressure I am under. Once I’m at that point, it’s only a matter of time before my mental health plummets and my safety comes into question again. I wanted to finish DRAM 321 so badly, but I did not have enough hours in the day to catch up on my other courses, move houses, start a placement and a new job, and care for myself adequately. I am not resting at all right now; I have been sleeping for about 3-5 hours per night consistently for over three weeks now because my stress is so high that it is keeping me up at night.
My plan moving forward is to continue to work with my health care providers to improve my mental health in order to be able to increase my academic commitment in the future. I see my therapist every week, my occupational therapist every 1-2 weeks, and my psychiatrist every 3-6 weeks. Once my placement is over, and I am in a more regular routine, I will have enough time to spend working on my mental health and enough time to work toward completing this course. Further, I always experience far worse symptoms in the winter, and I have already (especially in this last week) started to feel some of those lift with the change of weather. This is a course that I have greatly enjoyed the content of and I believe it will be very valuable to complete.
Documentation
Professional Letter: IF Appeal Letter May 10 2024.pdf