Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies:

I am appealing to drop ECON 331, GPHY 250, and GPHY 227 (Fall 2012), as well as Comm 200 (Winter 2013) past the academic deadline due to extenuating circumstances related to my mental health condition. This is a followup to my previous request to appeal the 21 day course drop period due to similar circumstances (appeal 3827,) which was approved 10/10/17. With this letter and supporting documentation, I hope to outline how my condition and extenuating circumstances beyond my control prevented me from completing the work necessary to complete these courses.

As detailed in my previous appeal, I have been suffering from clinical anxiety and depression since my early teens. My family has an extensive history of mental health disorders, and while I was a student at Queen's, several events contributed to the severity of my condition including my Aunt's suicide, my Mother's repeated hospitalization (for mental health related reasons), and my parents divorce. During this period, the symptoms I experienced included the inability to focus, insomnia, decreased energy and motivation, central sleep apnea, prolonged feelings of hopelessness and despair, thoughts of suicide and self harm.¿

I recognized in the fall of 2012 that my anxiety levels were affecting my concentration in lectures and while completing coursework. I would retain discouragingly low amounts of information and the thought of speaking to faculty or my peers for assistance seemed paralyzing, both due to the nature of my social anxiety, and the embarrassment of putting in so much time and learning so little. The aforementioned symptoms magnified and compounded to the point of total social withdrawal; from family, friends, my small network in Kingston, and my academic obligations. In the Winter of 2012, I became a risk to myself, my inability to function academically being a foremost trigger. Putting my own wellbeing first, I moved home to live with my mother during the exam period of the Fall 2012 term. My condition continued to worsen, with thoughts of suicide becoming more prominent the more I dwelled on my academic situation. By the end of the Winter 2013 semester, I had received a grade of F for each course that I had enrolled for in the 2012-2013 school year and I withdrew from studies for the next four years.

It is worth noting that during the bulk of my experience at Queen's, I was only able to secure appointments with Queen's Wellness Services every 2 months. In 2012 I was seeing a private social worker in Kingston bi-weekly which I financed. I was also prescribed a medication (via the student clinic) which seemed to have no effect on my mood. Treating my mental health was the highest priority but I felt stuck with inadequate supports, and the inability to secure more of them.

In the fall of 2013 I began seeing a General Practitioner regularly, and shortly after, a professional social worker. I have included letters from both of them indicating the condition of my mental state at this time, and the period preceding it. I began to experience an improvement in mood and was prescribed a different medication from which I was taking before. I began feeling like myself again in February 2014 and began working towards paying down my financial dept to the University, which was completed by June 2017. I enrolled for classes in the Fall 2017 term and received an A- in MUSC 102.

To finish my degree, I plan to complete courses via distance learning from Toronto where I have a large safety net. I am not currently experiencing difficulty with concentration or my previously experienced symptoms. I plan on taking one course this term (CWRI 295) and will take one in the summer term. I will continue to receive therapy from my professional councillor, who has helped me develop the tools to thrive despite my condition, and treatment from my family doctor. I will continue taking the medication I have been prescribed and follow a dedicated routine of mindfulness based meditation and physical exercise. This has aided my ability to pay attention, absorb information and cope with difficult situations.¿

Due to these extenuating circumstances, I received a failing grade in these 4 courses and my GPA was effected significantly. For my current program, Bachelor of Arts (General) in Economics, I require 6.0 units and a 1.6 Grade Point Average to graduate. I currently sit at a 1.46 GPA and with these courses dropped, combined with the grades I am capable of achieving in my 2 remaining courses, I will be able to graduate in 2018. After graduation, It is my goal and intention to pursue a Masters of Business Administration, hopefully with Queen's. I am very grateful for my recovery, and the opportunity to succeed despite my previous afflictions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Liam Fraser MacLean