Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Studies),

My name is Bridgette Doorey and I am a second-year student majoring in Global Development. I am appealing to drop DEVS 240, DEVS 293 and ENSC 200.

For the past eight or so months, I have experienced a deep depression that has not allowed me to get out of bed for class, continue my regular life or participate in my education in any of the ways necessary to be successful. My father and grandfather both passed away in the first 4 months of my grade 12 year and this has seriously affected my overall mental health ever since. I have experienced depression on and off throughout my life and so I expected my bout of sadness and lethargy to only last a couple weeks or a month at most (as it usually did) when it began again in the fall semester of 2018. Unfortunately, my mental state did not improve as I began second semester, but I continued with the mindset that the situation would soon resolve on its own. I became aware that my mental health was affecting my studies midway through the winter semester, so I decided to drop two of my classes under the impression that a lighter course load would allow me to do better in my remaining courses. When my mental health continued deteriorating into early March, I reached out for help from Queen¿¿s health (both for a medical doctor¿¿s appointment and counselling) but unfortunately by that point all of the appointments for the year had been booked. My grades were mediocre up to that point, but in late March when I did not complete or hand in my final papers on time, I understood that I would be unable to pass my courses. All of my classes had at least 10 of the final mark relying on lecture and/or tutorial attendance, and as previously mentioned my depression had a serious impact on my ability to attend classes and leave my house ¿¿ likely resulting in zeros for that grade. My lack of ability to attend classes also had an impact on my ability to understand coursework, as I was missing crucial information that was being taught in both lecture and tutorial.

After consulting with an academic advisor, I have created a plan to return to my studies in September in better health, allowing me to be successful in learning what I love. Over the summer, I have set up appointments bi-weekly with a therapist in my hometown of Mississauga. I have an appointment booked for late April to discuss anti-depressants with a health care provider. After my visit with an academic advisor I believe I am more equipped to utilise the academic services that are available to Queen¿¿s students and am now less afraid to ask for help when it is needed. I now have a connection with a counsellor through Queen¿¿s, and plan to utilise that connection to better my mental health while on campus.

I plan to continue on my course of study and remain in the Global Development program. DEVS 240 is a requirement and pre-requisite for my future DEVS courses in third year, and I plan to discuss with the professors of DEVS 300 and DEVS 340 to inquire about taking the courses concurrently in order to avoid adding an extra year to my degree. If unable to do so I will take DEVS 240 in the winter semester of the 2019-2020 school year and continue from there. I plan to continue my studies as a full-time student in September, but if need be, I will drop courses to ensure my academic success. I plan to take my other required 300-level DEVS courses while waiting for my completion of DEVS 240.

My studies are extremely important to me, and more than anything I want to be able to continue to be successful and enjoy learning as I used to.

Thank you so much for your consideration,

Bridgette Doorey - 20062264