Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

My name is Rachel Samson, I am in my fifth year of my Life Science degree and I am appealing to request a credit standing (CR) in the BCHM 218 course I took this past Fall, 2020. My mental illnesses were severely triggered this past Fall due to various external stressors, and the symptoms I experienced made it extremely difficult for me to complete the course successfully.

I am diagnosed with ADHD, general anxiety disorder, depression, and bulimia nervosa. Mid-way through the Fall 2020 term, past the course drop deadline, I experienced heightened anxiety which induced a relapse in my bulimia, in turn causing me to become severely depressed. The mental and physical symptoms of these illnesses are debilitating and made it very difficult for me to perform effectively in the course. I experienced mental impairment that affected things such as learning new material, motivation, and decision making, as well as excruciating gastrointestinal pain and migraines.

I recognize that since I have submitted similar appeals in the past that my situation may be viewed as chronic while the appeal process is meant for unexpected and acute issues. With that said, these illnesses are comorbidities of each other and can affect me in an unpredictable and acute manner, making them unforeseen personal events that are completely beyond my control. Moreover, I understand that the appeal process is also not designed to compensate for issues that the student is unable or unwilling to effectively resolve or manage. However, although I am writing another appeal, it does not mean I have not been dedicated to managing these issues since appealing a course from the summer 2018 term. Since then, I have introduced various resources into my life to help support and maintain my mental health. Such as, weekly appointments with my psychotherapist, consistent communication with my psychiatrist, signing up with QSAS, and even joining the Mental Health Awareness committee in the Community Outreach position to help educate myself and others further.

These aforementioned supports resulted in a positive trajectory in my health and academics until this past Fall 2020 term, when there were barriers and limitations for the resources I depend on due to the pandemic. Such as reduced accessibility, communication difficulties, and limited interactions. Furthermore, at the time I was challenging an appeal to the board of studies for a late drop for that course from the summer 2018 term, and by having to re-explain past traumas and prove that I had improved since then was extremely stressful and triggered a lot of painful memories. Even though I had worked very hard to maintain my mental health and had a long time period of asymptomatic behaviors under my belt, I could not anticipate having to deal with the stress of the appeal process in combination with the repercussions of the pandemic. I am not blaming my relapse solely on the appeal process but illustrating how the timing in the current environment with limited resources made me more vulnerable.

Additionally, I typically would have reached out to my QSAS advisor for help communicating with my professors, but since I had not originally planned to stay for a fifth year my accommodations with QSAS had expired. Although I eventually had my accommodations extended and my advisor reach out to my professors, it was not until mid-way through the course past the drop date when I noticed myself starting to struggle that I realized they were no longer in place. While this should have been a quick fix, my mental incapacitation made simple actions such as sending an email difficult. By the time I had gotten the help I needed to get back on track and communicate my situation with my professors, I had already been set back in the course a great deal which was evident in the poor grade I eventually received. I do not mean to place any blame on the advisor or my professors, I take full accountability, I am attempting to explain how the impairment of my mental illness affected my cognitive ability to communicate effectively.

In late December my psychiatrist reintroduced antidepressant medication and referred me for the appropriate targeted cognitive behavioral therapy, and since then my symptoms, overall mood, and cognitive ability has improved drastically. I am currently enrolled in WRIT 125 and have been able to keep up with the course and have received above-average marks so far. Additionally, I have been able to complete this appeal and begin the application process for graduate programs with the stress and uncertainty due to the limitations of my poor grades, without it affecting my health. If I were to be granted this appeal it would improve my GPA considerably and allow me to meet the requirement for the graduate program I wish to apply to. If given the opportunity, I will continue to use my aforementioned supports, and I feel confident in maintaining my mental health in future endeavors. My request is based on Queen¿¿s University policies around supporting students with mental health disabilities and my rights as a person with a mental health disability. Thank you for your kindness, consideration and for taking the time to read my request.

Kind regards,

Rachel