Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To The Associate Dean (Academic),

My name is Ellie McArthur, and I am currently a third-year joint honours student in Global Development and History. I am writing this letter to request permission to drop DEVS 280: Global Engagement and DEVS 260: Gender and Development beyond the official drop date.

During the Fall 2025 semester, I experienced significant mental health issues that directly affected my routine and academics. I have experienced similar stressors in the past, which I have been able to self-manage. As the term progressed, I found myself stuck, my stressors intensified and destroyed my ability to keep up with course content. This continued to snowball into extreme anxiety surrounding assignments and deadlines, and an inability to take care of myself. Although I reached out to academic support, I was unable to obtain the necessary documentation to receive accommodations during the semester. My intention was to stay engaged with the courses, but despite this, I found myself in a state of hypervigilance, causing me extreme emotional exhaustion. This inability to get formal accommodations left me feeling quite hopeless. I contacted Mark Hostetler to discuss my circumstances and to attempt to submit outstanding work; unfortunately, he was out of the office until the new term began.

The mental challenges I was experiencing were becoming more severe, moving into the latter portion of the term, and continued through exam season, even having a negative effect on the holidays. I have been taking steps to ensure I can support my learning and meet the expectations of my professors and teaching assistants. Over winter break, I was able to see my doctor and be tested for both ADHD and Anxiety on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 for general anxiety disorder and the ASRS-V1.1. After these tests and a few following appointments, I have now been diagnosed with general anxiety and have started taking a series of medications, starting with sertraline, and now lexapro to regulate this. In addition to this, I have developed a plan with the assistance of my doctor and family to manage my life, allocating time for academic planning and counselling through Queen’s Wellness Services, as well as improving my sleep, diet, and exercise habits.

I am requesting to drop DEVS 280 late as I believe this was not a reflection of my character, commitment, respect or academic ability, but rather an unfortunate mental circumstance that spiralled beyond my control. I do need to retake DEVS 260, as it is a required course, and am now working towards the mental stability required to be successful in my studies, which is really all I want.

I appreciate your time and understanding, and sincerely thank you for considering this petition.