Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Diane Mitchell and I am a 5th year biology major student here at Queen¿¿s. I am appealing to drop Biol 350 past the academic drop date as it has been recommended by both my family doctor and therapist as a necessary measure in maintaining my mental health. I have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember and university has been a time in my life that my anxiety has tried me at times. This semester however, has been especially difficult for me. In dealing with some personal issues and a busy school and work schedule, I¿¿ve recently seen a return in my more extreme symptoms associated with my anxiety disorder. My symptoms have included severe panic attacks, weight loss, issues sleeping and depression, most of which have begun to take a toll on both my work habits and success at work and at school. I have also come to Queen¿¿s from Vancouver and being far from my family and strongest support system makes things like this especially difficult for me. At the suggestion of my family doctor I felt it necessary to book a last-minute flight home last week to take a breath, spend time with my family and get into a better head space so that I would be able to return and get back to focusing on my studies and work to the best of my ability. I booked the flights on October 29th, flew home on November 1st and returned November 8th. During this time, while I was busy focusing on getting better and being in a healthier headspace, the academic drop date passed. While home I was able to meet with a family doctor who suggested I lighten my school and work load to take some pressure off myself and allow my anxiety symptoms to settle down. Unfortunately, my doctors appointment was on November 6th and when I got home and began looking into the option of dropping a course it was 3 days after the academic drop date. Seeing as I¿¿m in my final year the only class I see possible to drop is Biol 350 as I¿¿m retaking it to improve the grade I received in it when I took it in Fall 2015. This way it does not set me back in credits and I will still be on track to graduate come April 2018. I have attached both my flight itinerary from last week as well as a doctor¿¿s note with Dr. Buchan¿¿s recommendations and treatment suggestions. I hope this is enough information for you to be able to make a decision regarding my appeal, however if you need any other documentation from me please let me know.

Thank you in advance,
Diane Mitchell