Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: February 28, 2018
Attn: Associate Dean (Studies)
Queens University
Student Services, First Floor Dunning Hall

RE: ACADEMIC APPEAL JEREMY PATRICK ASKEW 20026884

I would like to request an Academic Appeal for my Fall term of 2017. Specifically I am appealing to have three of my 2017 Fall Term courses re-classified as DR and two re-classified as CR.

I had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder when I was 17 years old during my 12th grade of high school. At this time I started taking medication for my disorder which helped me to focus and finish my last year of high school with the success to get into Queens University.

For the following two years, through the care of my family doctor and child psychologist, I had tried various types of ADHD medication to determine which I felt was best for my condition as many of the prescribed medications had undesirable side effects. These side effects affected my sleep and appetite and emotional stability.

In the summer before this Fall Term, I had changed my medication and tried a new prescription which had a severe effect on my mental health. I believe that I had an underlying anxiety condition which reacted badly with the ADHD stimulant medication and caused a severe depression. I was unable to cope in my second year¿¿s first term of university since I had moved off campus from Residence and into a large, shared house off campus.

I did my best to seek external help, receiving support through student services, paying for tutors, and attempting to go to extra study sessions. However, due to my anxiety and depression, became to some extent dysfunctional during the last half of the term.
I am passionate about remaining in Environmental Studies and did enjoy the prerequisite courses in my program. However, due to my mental health during this Fall Term, I did not complete the term successfully and fear that these marks will affect my academic future.
I have returned home to try and get better and to sort out my medication so that I can complete my degree successfully. I am seeing a Clinical Psychologist and Registered Counsellor specializing in ADHD and Anxiety and am dedicated to improving my mental health so that I can be successful both academically and in my future.

I feel that due to my underlying condition which was not diagnosed until I returned back to Vancouver, I was not able to complete my courses as successfully as I had hoped. The reaction to my medication was not in my control, and unfortunately I was not healthy enough to seek the appropriate help or resources to get me through the term.

My goal is to return to Queens or to another university closer to my family home, to complete my degree with a focus on Environmental
Studies and I am requesting that my marks for this term be eliminated from my transcript so that I can pursue my degree of choice when my health is back on track.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Askew Student 20026884

Attached is signed supporting letter from my current family doctor.