Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jill Atkinson,

I am appealing to drop CHEM112, PSYC100, MATH121, and PHYS117.

At the beginning of second semester after a period of high anxiety, I experienced a physical and mental shutdown. I spent days in bed, unable to attend lectures, complete course work, or even go to the cafeteria to eat meals. It was at this time that I began seeing Freeman Woolnough, one of the Residence counsellors. Over the next two weeks, I felt a lack of motivation to do anything, and the build-up of missed work made it more difficult to catch up on what I had already missed. I brought myself in to see the crisis counsellor and she referred me to Tess Grant, occupational therapist, who I began seeing regularly to discuss catching up with course work and day-to-day routine. Following an initial appointment with Tess Grant, I had a mental health examination from Dr. Peter Bettle, who characterized my symptoms as a major depressive episode. I hoped to use my reading week as time to catch up on the work that I had missed. I was able to begin catching up and I saw an improvement in my symptoms. However, when I returned to campus I experienced another shutdown and I began seeking medical treatment for my symptoms. My hope in beginning treatment was that I would see an improvement in my mental health and be able to participate in course work.

At the beginning of February, I reached out to my instructors, with the help of Tess Grant, to discuss academic consideration. I provided documentation to the Faculty Office to support this request. I was provided with academic consideration from my professors (extensions and re-weighting of grades). I did discuss the idea of dropping courses prior to the deadline with Tess Grant. I made the decision to drop BIOL 103 and remain in my other courses in hopes that my mental health would improve (with the help of counselling and medication) and I would be able to complete course work with the academic consideration provided by my instructors. Although the medication was helpful, I continue to experience an inability to complete course work and participate in non-academic activities.

My plan is to work with a counsellor and my family doctor in Toronto over the summer to address my overall health. I hope to be able to return to Queen¿¿s in the Fall (2018) in a reduced course load and continue to utilize the services with Student Wellness throughout the year. When returning to classes in the fall, I want to come prepared with strategies that with help me to avoid experiencing another depressive episode, or perhaps minimize the impact of an episode on my academic performance.

I know that I have the ability to be a successful student, and I want to make the most of my Queen¿¿s experience. I consider this to be not a setback, but an opportunity to grow as an individual and come back as an even stronger student ¿¿ both academically and as a member of the Queen¿¿s community.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Dina L. Zatzman