Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: December 2014

Dear Associate Dean of Arts and Science,

I am appealing to drop the course GNDS 360: Masculinities. This is a 3.0 credit course, and is available to take for the fall semester. It is because of extenuating circumstances that I was unable to continue with this course or efficiently complete it.

Primarily, my beginning for my third year at Queen's had not been the most ideal start off to the semester. I was hospitalized in mid-September for severe anxiety and mental health issues that constituted for my extenuating circumstances. This circumstance got in the way of my classes, my attendance, and my overall inability to concentrate as well as I should have. Later in October, I experienced an event of circumstances beyond my control in which I continue to have severe trauma from. I tried to assess it as a matter on my own, but required plenty of help from my counsellor (Arunima Khanna) who has done her best to counsel me through this predicament. It was within this timeline that I was required to take my Masculinities midterm, and it was because of my disruptive predicament that I was unable to fully cope with the stress that came along with dealing with the 360 midterm, and my marks reflected extremely poorly upon the material. I also had a severe panic attack during the morning on the final, and because I am unable to cope with them very well, I was unable to deal with the stressful situation at the time. This was my second semester in which I have taken more than four courses, which in regards to my mental health and the event which occurred in October, I am unable to properly cope with. By appealing to drop 360, I feel that it will lighten the stress for me regarding my situation; it will allow me to focus on my recovery and my academics for next semester.

Should my appeal be granted, my future plan will involve a couple of things which I am sure will help with dealing with my mental health and my recovery regarding my extenuating circumstance. Firstly, I will make sure to keep weekly appointments with my counsellor to help with my recovery through this difficult time for me. Although I feel myself unable to function as efficiently at the moment, I believe that having the next couple of weeks to spend at home with my family and friends will help with my recovery. I am also confident that by taking a reduced courseload (4 courses per semester) will significantly help with my mental health and help to reduce my stress level. I have felt throughout my academic career that I must keep up at the pace of five courses like the rest of my peers, but I have come to realize that because of circumstances beyond my own control, this is not possible. I have finally come to terms with this and the fact that I most likely will have to take an extra year within my program, but I have come to accept this as moving along at my own personal, healthy pace. With this collection, I feel that I will be able to create a more comfortable environment for myself within Queen's for the events that I can control, and lead to my eventual academic success.

Sincerely,
Payal Majithia
10053981