Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Kathryn Lessard
0619-7342
Credit Standing Appeal

January 21, 2015

Dr. Johanne Bénard
Associate Dean (Studies)
Student Services, First Floor Dunning Hall

Dear Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing to request credit standing (CR) in ECON 112 (Fall, 2014). I am requesting credit standing in this course because while writing the exam I experienced a severe anxiety attack which significantly affected my performance on the exam, leading to a lower grade than I believe I otherwise could have achieved had I not undergone the episode. I have experienced severe complications due to a chronic condition of Major Depressive Disorder with anxious mood and somatic illnesses, including debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms.

I have been afflicted by mental illness for the past 4 years. As a result of continued treatment, I had been experiencing improvements with regards to my ability to complete assignments and maintain normal daily functioning; however, despite improvements with regards to the depressive symptoms such as extreme fatigue, decreased focus, and hopelessness, I still experience severe anxiety and paranoia during acute episodes of anxiety which affect my ability to perform academically.

I am only requesting credit standing (CR) for ECON 112 as a severe acute anxiety attack during the exam period significantly and negatively affected my performance on the exam. As ECON 112 was an online course, I was required to go to a satellite exam location (at Trent University in Oshawa) to write the exam. Prior to starting the exam, I believe that I was experiencing normal levels of anxiety as expected for an examination. However, within the first 20 minutes of the exam, I began experiencing debilitating symptoms as a result of an acute anxiety attack, which affected my performance by the following means: I experienced an extreme decline in my ability to recall any of the information I had studied for the exam and was very panicked. I began feeling extremely ill and nauseous. In order to mediate the anxiety attack, I went to the washroom and attempted to calm myself with some breathing exercises. It is my approximation that I first spent approximately 20 minutes attempting to calm myself. Once having vomited and attempting to calm myself and prevent further panic, I returned to the exam and began to attempt to write. It was extremely painstaking and frustrating as I could not recall information clearly and was having trouble remembering simple concepts. Also, my focus was severely impacted, as it took reading a question multiple times to even obtain an understanding of what the question was asking. This difficulty frustrated my performance throughout the exam, with my having to leave to go to the washroom several times over the course of the exam to provide myself the space to compose myself, often taking 10-15 minutes before being able to write again. I do not believe that I began even answering questions until well into the first hour of the exam, as I recall at first I was having trouble focusing at all, and could not recall what I had just read from a question immediately after reading it. I was unable to complete the exam with any degree of effectiveness, having left many questions unanswered due to a lack of time and ability to focus, or recall information. I wrote an email to my professor that evening returning home from the exam to notify him of the episode. I have attached it to this appeal for your reference.

Despite excessive preparation, debilitating anxiety and an impaired ability to recall information during examinations has led to poor academic performance. ECON 112 was the only exam I had scheduled during the Fall 2014 exam period, and I had been adequately prepared, having created and implemented a studying schedule in the weeks preceding to ensure I was comfortable with all topics which were covered. I do believe that I would have been able to achieve a significantly higher grade in the course and on the exam had I not experienced an anxiety attack that day. I do not believe that my performance in ANAT 100 or ENGL 100 was affected similarly to ECON 112 as those courses did not involve a proctored final exam (which I believe acted as a trigger for the acute anxiety attack I experienced).

If granted credit standing in ECON 112, in order to ensure future academic success, I plan to continue my treatment regimen. Over the course of the past four years where I have experienced continual symptoms as a result of my mental illness, I have been actively pursuing improvement and treatment through a variety of means which has included working with medical professionals in Kingston to adjust and monitor medication, CBT, personal counselling as required, exercise and lifestyle to manage symptoms. Recently, I had experienced an improvement with regards to my daily symptoms, and my general academic performance reflects this over the past few months. However, I still have trouble managing the symptoms of my anxious mood, and as a result, recognizing this, I have recently made further changes in order to better manage my chronic condition. This has included resigning from a part-time job (to reduce external stressors and better focus on academic performance), as well as taking on structured group activity through intramural sports and volunteering with youth through the Girl Guides of Canada (to reduce stress, provide an outlet for anxious energy, and provide structure). I also was (and am) working on a reduced course load (3 courses).

Please note that my doctor¿¿s notes (in attached documentation) are dated October 7, 2013 and February 27, 2013. I have chosen to include documentation from these dates because I wish to establish that mental illness has had a longstanding effect on my performance, however, I have been actively attempting to improve my health, with my symptoms having improved over the last year. It also outlines my chronic condition, as it had been diagnosed by my primary health provider. In order to ensure future success, I will continue with the above-noted means to improve my health, as I have achieved marginal success moving-forward.

Thank you for considering my request for credit standing in ECON 112.

Kindest regards,
Kathryn Lessard
0619-7342