Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Request for Academic Appeal
December 15th, 2016

Queen's University
99 University Ave
Kingston, ON
K7L 3N6

Dr. Johanne Bénard
Associate Dean (Studies)
Student Services
First Floor Dunning Hall


Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,

I am appealing to drop BIOL 335 (Fall, 2016) due to extenuating circumstances associated with mental illness. I have been suffering from an eating disorder for approximately 2 years, and was recently diagnosed with severe anxiety this past summer. Attempting to manage both of these illnesses has been extremely difficult, and my academics have suffered as a result.

I have been affected by mental illness over the past couple of years, being diagnosed with an eating disorder in May of 2015. I sought professional help through numerous doctors, Hotel Dieu Hospital, and an eating disorder specialist. I have continued my work with the specialist throughout my course of study at Queen's University with weekly counselling sessions. In June 2016, I was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder, for which I was prescribed medication in order to mediate the symptoms. Although properly prescribed, the medication was harsh on my body and I was weaned off them after the first month of the fall semester. Lacking sufficient methods of anxiety mediation, I continued my class work despite symptoms. I began to experience insomnia, started to become progressively restrictive with eating, and became extremely emotionally unstable. In November 2016, I was forced to travel to my home in Vancouver to seek professional help due to a sudden weight loss and eating disorder relapse, which had become the coping mechanism for my anxiety. Upon return, I took a 3-week leave from my part-time job while I worked on my health, and I currently am still in the process of regaining the weight I lost. Due to these circumstances, I was unable to put forward the quality of work that I am capable of. This resulted in significantly lower marks for both tests and lab components of this course.

Due to my interest in grad school, I strive for academic excellence in all of my courses. However, the circumstances surrounding both my physical and mental health have caused my grades in this course to suffer. Although I tried to perform to the best of my abilities given my situation, I do not want my options in the future to be jeopardized by a poor grade. I continue to meet with my counsellor on a weekly basis, but for the past few weeks my anxiety levels have decreased significantly and I am recovering well from the relapse. We have implemented stress mediation techniques, and I am on a scheduled eating plan in an effort to better stabilize my health. In order to be closer to family support and my counselling services, I am planning to take a fifth year at UBC in Vancouver, to complete the remaining courses left in my degree. I have spoken to an academic advisor, Spring Forsburg, about this option, and will be organizing a meeting with her next semester.

I greatly appreciate your time and consideration, and I would like to thank you in advance for your sensitivity towards mental health. I am hopeful that I will make a full recovery, and will be able to perform at a level that appropriately reflects my capabilities as a student at Queen's University.


Sincerely,

Caroline Saunders