Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To: Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science

Dear Sir/Ms.,

I am writing this letter to have the courses POLS 230 (Fall 2016), POLS 250(Fall and Winter 2016/17), PSYC 251 (Fall 2016), and PSYC 241 (Fall 2016), dropped from my record after the deadline.
In April of 2016 I went through a manic episode which left me struggling with an increasingly volatile state of mental health. As a result of this episode, I found myself alienated from my employers, housemates and friends, resulting in the termination of my employment and being pressured out of my home here in Kingston by my former housemates. By August 2016 I had become quite depressed, which was somewhat apparent to me at the time, but when I reached out to my parents for support and discussed the possibility of psychiatric support, they were averse to the idea, due to their naturopathic and holistic background. As a result, my condition remained untreated for the time being. Consequently, my academic performance suffered greatly and I humbly ask to have the aforementioned courses expunged from my academic record.
As the fall semester progressed an unexpected and difficult medical procedure combined with the continuous lack of support by my parents proved a further detriment to my mental health and I decided to enlist psychiatric help, against my parents¿¿ wishes.
In January of 2017, I was finally able to see a psychiatrist, receive a proper diagnosis for my disorder and begin the proper treatment. I would like to also use this opportunity to thank the Faculty for granting my deferral of the Winter 2017 semester, to aid me in my recovery. The opportunity to devote my full attention to my mental health without the added pressure of academic pursuits has been immensely beneficial to my recovery. While I would not say that the psychiatric treatment has cured me in a conventional sense, I am now beginning to feel stable and I am able to reflect on this series of events with a higher sense of clarity. My current efforts are focused on developing effective coping strategies, cultivating an emotional support network and on improving my resilience to psychological stressors.
As of now, I judge myself to be psychologically and intellectually capable of returning to regular classes in the upcoming fall semester and I look forward to resuming my studies with the necessary preparations for my condition.


Thank you for you time and consideration,
Kind regards,
Jamie-Lee Deschenes