Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to drop CISC121(Winter 2016) and ECON240 (Winter 2016) past the drop deadline. I am also appealing for for a Credit Standing in Hist206 (Winter 2016) and Geol104 (Fall 2015). I am appealing these credits because I developed a serious personal problem which consumed much of my time and energy, and made it impossible to complete my studies during the 2015-2016 academic year. A combination academic pressures and a serious personal problem culminated

Timeline

The circumstances surrounding my academic performance began to develop in October, 2015. During this period, I had been assessed by the Regional Assessment and Resource Centre (RARC) for a learning disability. The assessment was due to poor academic performance in specific academic courses in the 2014-2015 academic year. The result of assessment was that I had been diagnosed with a neurobiological disorder. I had been informed that symptoms of the disorder were present since elementary school, but never formally addressed. I learned that it had considerably impacted my ability to learn effectively, to complete academic assignments on time and to perform some day to day activities. I was also informed that a combination of behaviour therapy, academic accommodation and medication should be considered and implemented if I hoped for my academic performance to improve. Lastly, I was told that I had significant anxiety as a result of the disorder. Throughout the months of November and December, I had become registered with Student Accessibility Services and was given access to the Adaptive Technology Center. I had also been given a smart pen for note taking purposes. Despite being given these accommodations, my academic performance continued to stagnate. In fact, symptoms of the disorder prevented me from accessing the services. In December 2015, I chose treat the disorder with stimulants. From that point, the Student Wellness Center supported me through ongoing challenges. The stimulant treatment allowed for an immediate change in my functioning. However, I did not have the opportunity at that point in the semester to seek changes in behaviour which were creating an obstacle for me in an academic setting. This ultimately enabled past behaviours to become worse, even though I was given support. Unaddressed anxiety issues prevented medications from fully treating my difficulties. The most pervasive obstacle was overcoming poor sleep habits. Poor sleep habits had grown into insomnia with the medication. This became detrimental to my fall semester as this was the week prior to the GEOL104 exam. On the day of the exam, I was not able to sleep. Further, I missed my train and bus when I departed for Christmas. Although I wanted to tell my parents about the struggle I was facing, they did not accept that I had a disorder and it made it for me difficult to openly ask for assistance.

When I returned for the Winter 2016 semester, I thought my circumstances would improve. Instead, the negative behaviours persisted and although I was able to maintain some of the workload, it quickly became overwhelming for me. In the months of January, anxiety increased due to an increasing workload worsened. This especially effected Econ240 and Cisc121 because these classes occurred in the morning and the insomnia prevented me from attending these classes. I was also constantly worried about my peers finding out what I was going through. This was due to my peers also being my coworkers and it created a fear that I¿¿d be told to leave my residence if my peers knew how unravelled my mental state was becoming. In February, I became behind in almost all of my classes. I had more successful in classes where I had peers supporting me, such as Hist206. I chose not travel home for reading week so that I could catch up on missed work. I did complete some coursework, however I developed depression during this week due to the pressure of completing numerous overdue assignments in that week. An effect of the depression was that I stopped eating, in addition to the stimulants reduced my ability to reduce appetite. It then became impossible to finish my coursework normally and I thought it was time to seek more assistance from Wellness Services. I also took a leave of absence from my employment in residence. My doctor and I changed the type stimulant of stimulant and increased the dose. In addition, lifestyle changes were discussed and a plan to implement them went into effect. In March, I booked an appointment with a learning strategist and I began running on a consistent basis with my peers. I also approached the Cisc121 prof for assistance and was granted support. Although my condition was gradually improving, the semester had progressed to a point where it was impossible to catch up with my courses. The overwhelming anxiety created a crippling feeling when trying to complete my courses. Often the only thing that would ease my mind is if I thought about other things or helped others, such as student government. Without this coping mechanism, I believe my situation would have been much worse than it became. In April, I tried, to the best of my ability, to complete the missed coursework and study for exams. Despite this, I had realized that this was a critical point in my personal treatment and prioritizing school over my mental wellbeing would put my personal safety at risk. I instead worked hard to overcome some of my anxieties and developed the courage to seek a academic advisor to create a plan going forward to salvage the credits I was working towards.

In May, the academic plan I devised allowed me to return home and improve my mental wellbeing. I took time to further overcome anxiety issues. I was given an IN for Hist206, the course was completed on May 6th, 2016. I am currently working towards completing Hist305B, a seminar course required for my program and will be complete by May 31st, 2016. I was not given permission to complete assignments for Cisc121. The nature of Econ240 prevented me from completing it at a later time.

Academic Plan

The key issue affecting my academic performance was a neurobiological disorder. As a result of the disorder, an underlying anxiety issue became worse as there were time constraints for this to be fully addressed. The anxiety prevented me from seeking help when I needed it and it took several months to adjust to a treatment plan that was effective. Time was required to become oriented with academic support resources and accommodations. Self-denial of a personal problem and negative attitudes towards my academic potential was an underlying factor behind the length of time it took to access resources, this was partially due to anxiety and external factors.

In Fall of 2016, I plan to continue the approached that I was working towards during the 2015-2016 academic year. I would like to take a reduced course load of 9 credits in the Fall. I plan to exercise on a consistent basis and book appointments with a learning strategist on a bi-weekly basis. I plan on working on ways to improve my confidence in subjects where I had lost faith in my abilities. I plan to continue to work in residence a Residence Facilitator because it is something I enjoy and provides me with more support should I need it. I have also learned that I must be honest and accept my serious personal problems if I expect to improve my situation. I should inform the professor as soon as I have a have a need for accommodations. I have also created a daily structure for an average day. I am following this routine throughout the summer so that I can apply it to my classes in September. I would like to speak with a career advisor to reassess my career path. Should I change my degree plan, I would likely work towards upgrading high school credits because I would now be given needed support.

This appeal being granted would mean that I am afforded the ability to realize my academic potential. The diagnosis of a lifelong neurobiological disorder and the underlying anxiety that it caused prevented my academic success not only at Queen¿¿s, but throughout the course of my academic career. It also affected my relationships with peers and parents, self-esteem and day to day functioning. Over the past year, addressing these problems became a burden on me physically and emotionally, and it made it impossible for me to complete the 2015-2016 school year with success. I believe this process was necessary for me to truly understand the challenges I face and I can assert with certainty that I have clear plan for academic success going forward with my degree plan.

Sincerely,
Matthew Ierino
10142014