Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: January 17th, 2020

Faculty of Arts and Science
94 University Avenue
Queen's University
Kingston, ON Canada
K7L 3N6


Student Support Services;

I am appealing to drop GPHY 101, GPHY 203, GPHY 228 and GPHY 243 from my Queens University transcript: 20120302.

I enrolled in classes in September with confidence and the expectations of a good year. Unfortunately I quickly fell into a rut and that began to consume all of my academic work and social life. The situation got worse as the term progressed until I finally reached out to my family mid November. At that point I confronted the situation, acknowledged my depression, anxieties, and ongoing struggles. When I reached out to my family, I began to organize the support I needed and things began to improve. But it was too late for that semester.

I enrolled in five courses, including GPHY 101, 203, 228, 243 and a second year Global Development class. Each course is dominated by a series of essays, reports, and assignments. Unfortunately I fell behind with certain projects, and that caused me to miss classes to try to catch up, but caused me to fall further behind in those classes. The situation spiraled downward. In an effort to address the situation I began to increase my use of Adderall. I have been prescribed the drug to help me focus. For various reasons I decided to start taking more and more each day thinking this may be the solution to help me focus. The increased dosage caused strange effects for me by actually reducing my ability to focus. Apparently this effect is documented (...an overdose of Adderall can come at low doses. Initial signs of an overdose include restlessness, tremor, confusion, hallucinations and panic, the FDA says. After this central stimulation, the patient will undergo fatigue, depression, and often cardiovascular and gastrointestinal symptoms). I was not anticipating this effect and it obviously exacerbated my already fragile situation. I was paralized and spun by the effects, and my academic situation suffered.

As is evident in my grades, and the pattern of my grades throughout the term, this is not a situation where I fell apart in one course. My challenges were experienced in every course - across the board. For example I received ¿¿0¿ in weekly assignments in GPHY 243 and GPHY 101 early, and subsequently received 0 for larger assignments such as the 243 midterm. I found myself sitting in the library for hours on end, unable to accomplish a single thing, staring at my computer and falling further and further behind.

I would like to make the case that this situation was beyond my control. I have been diagnosed by professionals in the past with learning disabilities and difficulty with executive functioning and and the following symptoms are normal. I believe I am capable of overcoming these difficulties.

As a result, I was not able to apply myself in any way to the academic work required for four of my five courses. In the end I managed to get passing grades on my exams but the long list of negative grades during the term dragged down my final averages.

In the interest of turning this situation around I have developed a plan to change with the following elements:
I now have a life coach to help me on a weekly basis.
I have made sense of the effects of Adderall and know that taking more than the prescribed amount is not good. I will stick to the prescription.
I will get more sleep, food and exercise.
I have a detailed calendar with due dates, work plans and all important due dates.
I have a plan set up with my Mum and Dad to check in three times per week.
I have had a meeting with Sharon Mohammed, the point person for Geography to design the course selection to get me back on track.
I have chosen a mix of online and in-class courses.
I have enrolled in Geography 101 again - this time as an on-line course.
I will get off to a good start in January. I am off to a good start already.

The above noted plan should keep my organized and healthy, with a better understanding of the implication of not attending to my health.

I have attached a note from my Mother and Father substantiating my claim of health difficulties this past Fall. Their position is also informed by the opinion of medical professionals.

With all of this in mind, I am requesting to drop GPHY 101, GPHY 203, GPHY 228 and GPHY 243 from my Queens University transcript, and assure you that I will be fully back on track from here in at Queens University. A fresh start to the year will give me the chance to turn things around. I hope you will consider my request seriously.

Sincerely,



Ben Cape