Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: October 16th, 2015

To the Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing the Faculty¿¿s decision that I must withdraw from Queen¿¿s for a minimum of three years. I am also appealing the decision to not grant me my 3-year BA with Women¿¿s Studies Minor based on being one credit short. I am requesting that both full year English credits be accounted for. I am requesting that I be granted my 3-year BA based on 15 credits completed.

From my first year of studies in 2002 to my last year in 2010 I suffered from severe mental illness and an undiagnosed mood disorder which prevented me from making rational decisions in regards to both my health and academics which were inextricably linked. Throughout my six years as a student I fell into repetitive cycles of mental illness that made it impossible to uphold a full course schedule. I experienced crippling episodes where at times the thought of leaving the house was too much to bear. Self care and socialization were at times nonexistent. My illness made it extremely difficult to attend classes regularly and generally read, write and process all the material required. A deep sense of fear and shame held me back from addressing my problems. With every new academic year I had intentions of catching up, of doing better, of living to my potential but I never had a concrete plan or the professional supports I needed. I was unable to fully see, accept and understand what I was doing year after year. I coped by either dropping classes, most often nearing the final drop date after any financial reimbursement was an option. If the drop date had passed and by the semesters end I was too overwhelmed by the magnitude of work I would shut down and simply accept the failure. There are several classes I registered for multiple times, paid for multiple times, some I completed and others I did not.

It wasn¿¿t until third year that I spoke to counselors and started seeing a doctor through Queen¿¿s Health, Counselling and Disability Services. This helped a small degree but I was unable to be completely honest about how severe my illness was at times and therefore continued to struggle. There was never a plan put into place for me. It is extremely difficult for me to look upon the transcript I would hope could be altered and see how obviously it indicates that I was suffering with illness beyond my control. I was a young person with severe mental illness whose family was largely unaware of the reality of my health, well being and academic life. My intention when I returned to Queen¿¿s in 2009 was to complete my BAH with a Women¿¿s Studies Major concentration. I felt I was ready to finally complete my undergraduate degree after addressing my illness and working with a doctor in my hometown. That year I fell into the same patterns of illness and silence as previous years. I did not have the proper supports when I needed it most. I did not have an academic plan when I needed it most. I dropped classes and allowed others to become failures by simply giving up and staying silent. With 15 credits I applied to graduate for my BA with a minor concentration in Women¿¿s Studies. I received a phone call informing me that I was one credit short of graduating. I was told that two of my full year English credits cancelled each other out. I was not aware of this fact and would not have given up on or dropped additional courses knowing I was one credit short from graduating. I received my letter to withdraw in the summer of 2010. I was unable to appeal the decision within the 21-day period initially because I had been working out of town and letter went to my home address and remained unopened for some time. I was devastated and unable to find the words and strength to appeal academic issues that were deeply painful and personal that spanned years of my life unaddressed, overwhelmed me financially, and were completely out of control.

I have put much time and effort into managing my health over the last few years with the support of professionals, family and community. I am in a healthy place and have the intention of returning to University level studies next year at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON. I now have a hold on my illness and have supportive professionals, family and community nearby. I need to move forward and require my degree to do so. I completed 15 credits as required for a BA and all required credits for a Women¿¿s Studies Minor. I understand that this is not a typical appeal. I regret living with this unresolved matter for this long. I have supporting documentation from the year I was required to withdraw. I desperately want to have this resolved. I hope to find your support through this appeal.