Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Studies) or whomever it may concern,


I am appealing to drop courses after the deadline. The courses are MUSC 228, MUSC 381, and PHIL
271, from the Winter 2014 term.


I have been suffering from severe depression and anxiety, which has impacted my ability to
successfully complete some of my courses. I had been seeing both a Mental Health Nurse and a
physician at the Health Counseling and Disability Services (HCDS) building semi-regularly during the
year, however, in the Winter term my symptoms became more extreme. These include: feelings of
hopelessness/dread, difficulty concentrating, thought's of being better off dead, panic attacks, anxiety related to going to classes and/or interacting with people. This was likely exacerbated by withdrawal from my depression/anxiety medication as I had run out of my prescription and was having difficulty getting it renewed (due to anxiety about going to the store, and also depressive thoughts of worthlessness).
These symptoms made it more difficult to go to classes, ask for help, concentrate on assignments, and practice good judgement regarding my academics (if I had been thinking clearly and/or about the future, I would have dropped these courses before the deadline).


Since the term has ended, my symptoms have dramatically reduced. I attribute this to the continued
work done by the Mental Health Nurse (to whom I am very grateful), taking medication (which has
been increased in dosage), and reflection over the courses I successfully completed. One of which
(MUSC 291) was necessary to proceed in my degree, which now gives me great hope for the future as
it may be possible to finish next year.


My future/current plan includes continued support from either the Mental Health Nurse or a counselor
at the HCDS. We are currently working on weekly goal setting as well as guided meditation. I also
have routine check-ups with a physician regarding medication and overall well-being (I hope to see
someone in early July to renew/re-evaluate my medication). More support from my family who are
now more aware of my condition. I also hope to have more contact with my professors next year so
they are more informed of my situation and better able to help me.


Regarding not submitting this appeal within the 21 days after the end of term, I have been finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on this particular task, and have been overcome with anxiety when I thought about writing the appeal (and indeed, while writing it). This has been the one exception to my improved mental symptoms since the end of term. I believe this is because I have written an appeal letter in the past when my living situation was much worse, and writing about my depression and anxiety brings up those feelings and past memories. I have intended to write this appeal since the end of the term (I've had my supporting documentation for some time now, waiting for me to complete my part of the appeal) and am relieved to have finally completed it. It feels as if a great burden has lifted.


Additionally, I received notification from Queen's that because I have completed 130 credits and my
average is below a threshold, I am being forcefully removed from my current plan and put into a
different program. This is particularly distressing because (as mentioned earlier) I may be able to finish my degree next year. If I am able to have these courses dropped, that would put me under the 130 credits threshold and I dearly hope that will allow me to stay in my current program.


Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to a successful year ahead.
Sincerely, Jared Meir