Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Marco De Pasquale and I am writing to appeal the decision made by the Associate Dean (Studies) requiring my withdrawal from Queen's due to my academic performance being below standard.
My academic performance during the past year was severely hindered by chronic sleep disturbance due to insomnia and restless leg syndrome.
I was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and ADHD at age 8 and as part of this syndrome, have had ongoing and significant issues with anxiety and mild to moderate sleep disturbance. Unfortunately, my anxiety reached high levels by the middle of the fall term last year and was accompanied by severe insomnia. My sleep disturbance became extreme and resulted in chronic insomnia associated with and exacerbated by restless leg syndrome. I now know that the latter is recognized to frequently accompany Tourette's Syndrome though it had not previously been a problem for me.
Lack of night time sleep severely affected my day to day life including my ability to focus during class, to structure my study time and to work on assignments and exam prep in effective ways. My appetite was also affected.
It was at its worst during the exam period of that term and though not resolved, was somewhat improved after the Christmas Break and into the early part of the winter term. I did seek professional help however when there was a resurgence of insomnia/anxiety/restless legs and even progression to sleep paralysis in late February and early March '15.
I did not seek help earlier, including help from my professors, due to self-consciousness about the return of my anxiety issues and a variety of other personal and social factors. This was obviously a mistake as I believe that my marks from that term are a direct reflection of the severe disturbance(s) caused by the anxiety/insomnia and earlier intervention would have been a more prudent path.
In April 2015 I saw a sleep specialist who provide expert advice re sleep hygiene and also medication to address the restless legs syndrome; both of these interventions have helped my sleep pattern considerably and I intend to continue them over the long term. It had been my intention to wait until the summer to seek this assessment however after several alarming episodes of classic sleep paralysis in March, the situation became more urgent. I was prescribed gabapentin, a drug known to reduce severity and frequency of seizures and other neuro-physiological disorders, which is helping with the restless leg syndrome. I attach the consultation note from Dr. Brian Murray, sleep specialist, and the prescriptions that he provided.
My performance in the winter/spring term of 14/15 improved somewhat though remains below my goal. I believe that this improvement reflected at least in part improved exam performance due to the sleep assessment/interventions of early April. It appears that being required to withdraw is largely due to the performance in the fall term and does not take into account the improvements of the following term which I believe to be related to early improvements in my sleep and anxiety.
Because of ADHD, I have been provided with accommodations both during high school and since coming to Queens University. I was able to graduate from high school with an 80 average but have struggled to adjust to the University academic environment primarily due to the lower level of structure and supervision which had been an important element of my success in high school and, in the most recent academic year, the cumulative problems described above.
I took an Arts program in first year (2012/13), returned to high school in the following year (13/14) to get pre-requisites to switch into a science program, and then returned to Queen's in 14/15 in Sciences. This change was already a challenge given my limited background in sciences however was very much what I wanted to pursue and I was, and continue to be, willing to apply whatever energy was necessary to do so.

I am appealing the requirement to withdraw because I believe that I am in a much better situation currently than I was earlier this year and that I am capable of continuing as such over the long term. My sleeping has improved substantially, leading to improvements in all other aspects of my life. With the medication to address the restless legs and also the ability to address the issues that will promote a healthy sleep pattern, I believe that this improved cognitive and emotional status can be sustained. If/when under stress that threatens this improvement, I now have access to an expert who can provide advice and interventions when necessary.
I am repeating the biology course that I failed in the Fall term of 14/15 and hope that completing it successfully will attest to my ability to address the conditions that interfered with my ability to do so originally and also to my ability to master the material.

I do intend over the summer months to seek academic and vocational counselling and it is possible that I will not wish to return to Queens this Fall depending on the results of those consultations. I do have a very profound wish however to complete at least my undergraduate degree, preferably at Queens, and fear that having a 'requirement to withdraw' in my history could jeopardize that possibility as well as other opportunities I may pursue. I believe that the medical circumstances in which I found myself contributed significantly to my academic circumstances and that I have done my best to address and correct both. I humbly request that my requirement to withdraw be re-considered and rescinded.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.