Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To: Associate Dean (Studies)

I would like to appeal to drop all of my courses for the winter term of 2018.

I have made this decision out of concern for my mental health. Over the course of this term, my mental health has rapidly declined and crippled my abilities as a student. I attribute this to several extenuating events, beginning on January 29, when I underwent surgery. The surgery was unsuccessful, and continues to require wound care and daily dressings; this is an ongoing stress. Shortly after my surgery, on February 8, my aunt died. She had suffered for many years from an aggressive brain disease. Two days before her funeral, on February 12, I was diagnosed with a rare and chronic skin condition. While the diagnosis explained the need for my surgery, it triggered a level of anxiety that I have not experienced before. In the span of two weeks, the stress of surgery, a death, and a diagnosis overwhelmed my brain and sent in me into what my counsellors describe as ¿¿power down mode.¿ I have come to discover that, overshadowing all of these events, is the grief associated with the death of my father. He died in November of 2012 to a rare and unstoppable cancer and the events of this semester have triggered many powerful emotional and mental responses associated with his passing. With the respect to my academics at Queen¿¿s, I initially planned on taking 2 weeks off for my surgery, and had made the necessary arrangements with my professors. However, by Feb 12, my mental health had deteriorated so much that I could not attend class and had to summon all my available energy to carry out basic tasks. In all honesty, academics were not on my radar until recently, by which point I had long passed the March 2 drop deadline.

During this entire struggle, I sought out help from my family and professionals. I have met with counsellors and QSAS through Student Wellness Services on campus. At home, I have met with my grief counsellor (who has known me since 2012) and my family doctor who has prescribed a treatment plan to combat my stress and anxiety. My family has been supportive and is well aware of my mental fragility at this time. Going forward, I will continue to use this support network, in tandem with to work through unresolved grief I may have and help me manage my anxiety. Amongst all the stress of this semester, I was excited to learn that I have been chosen to carry out a 16 month professional internship with the provincial government in my field of study. I am looking forward to this change in routine and the opportunity to learn, but also relax and recharge. I look forward to returning to campus in September 2019 and resuming my studies.

Thank you for taking to the time to let me explain my situation, I hope you understand.

Sincerely,

Conor Spencer