Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop failed courses from the 2015-2016 academic year. Due to mental and physical health conditions beyond my control I was unable to participate in the academic process during the past year. In late 2013, I suffered a concussion that required me to withdraw from my academics for an extended period of time.
Shortly after that concussion (and perhaps due to it), I began experiencing acute major depression. This depression interfered with my ability to attend classes on a regular basis and also significantly impaired my ability to prepare for tests and essays. Since my concussion, and due to my depression, my academic performance has fallen far short of Queen¿¿s University standards, and the expectations I have set for myself. Despite reducing my course load and seeking treatment at Queens Student Wellness Services, I was mentally and physically unable to complete basic tasks, and found myself unable to participate in the academic process. Due to performance below my ability I was ashamed and unwilling to communicate with my professors, teaching assistants, academic counselors and parents. Now that I have returned home for the summer and have been able to receive professional clinical diagnoses, treatment, and counseling, I truly believe I am ready to return to Queen¿¿s this fall and begin regularly attending classes with success. My treatment plan has five steps. First, I will continue treatment with mental health professionals, both via telephone from Alaska (my home) and in the Kingston area. With continued treatment for depression and anxiety I will create conditions of wellness upon which academic performance depends. Second, I plan on metering my course load and scheduling courses during times of the day that compliment my treatment. As part of my depression I also suffered from severe insomnia resulting in fatigue, causing me to miss many classes scheduled early in the day. In order to be successful in receiving the treatment mentioned above, I need to be in an academic environment that is conducive to continued care. I can set my schedule to meet this criteria by consulting with academic counselors and working with Queen¿¿s Accessibility Services. Third, I will communicate with my professors to clarify any course material I have difficulties grasping and with teaching assistants to ensure that assignments and essays are completed and submitted in a timely manner. Fourth, I will take full advantage of student services available to me at Queen¿¿s. Close communication with academic counselors will ensure that I¿¿m enrolled in classes that lead me on a path to graduation and fit within my treatment plan. Finally, I will be participating in numerous learning workshops provided at Queen¿¿s in the Stauffer Library, and receiving program-specific tutoring either from student associations or privately. This will provide me with the necessary knowledge of the subjects I am studying and teach me important skills for succeeding academically. For the reasons listed above I request the courses I failed during the 2015-2016 academic year be dropped from my transcript. I am confident you want to see me succeed at Queens, and hope you believe, as I do, that removing these failed grades from my transcript will put me in a better position to do so. I look forward to a healthy second chance to achieve my full potential at Queens. Thank you for your consideration.