Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am appealing to drop LLCU 295-002 (Winter, 2021).
In the first half of the Winter semester of 2021, my mental health took an extreme toll due to a temporary physical health situation. While I utilized Student Wellness Services to check on my physical health, I had not yet used counselling because I was uncertain I had needed it. This set me back in most of my courses and resulted in my participation being inconsistent as I have consistently needed to catch up on coursework. As the semester has gone on my mental health has worsened and my capacity for academic work has gotten much lower. I have pre-existing mental health issues that have largely been manageable, but with the extenuating circumstances of this past year and this very recent personal health issue, these problems have grown to be much more of a complication in my daily life. My participation in my courses has continued to be varied, while in some of my classes I have been able to stick to the schedule and be attentive, in the course, Tattoos Around the Globe, my initial falling behind has thrown me entirely off track. I have handed in many assignments late throughout the semester as a result of my low mental and emotional capacity for daily tasks, let alone academic work. I have continuously stayed in contact with my professors, who have all had a lot of grace and consideration for my circumstances. My communication with my professors has allowed me to get back on track for the most part, but I am aware that my work is not meeting its full potential because of my low mental health. While I have greatly enjoyed the course, Tattoos Around the Globe, and the instructor, Christina Fabiani, has been very cooperative in developing fair accommodations, I have continuously failed to meet the course requirements because of my current mental state. My initial participation in this course started out poor, which I had believed would be temporary at the time because I felt that my mental health issues were focused on the aforementioned personal medical incident, but this quality of my participation has continued throughout the course. I had done reasonably well with the first assignment, standing at an A-, and have been able to comprehend the course content, but have had trouble keeping up with the course work and articulating my thoughts. My own success in understanding material, and my excitement about the topics had me believe that I would be able to complete it successfully, so I did not consider dropping it until after the drop deadline, hence my appeal. My falling behind in this course has become a part of a perpetual cycle of my mental health worsening and has affected my ability to stay on top of my other courses. While I have appreciated the content and conversations coming out of this course, I feel a necessary step for both my personal well-being and overall academic success is to drop this course.
Considering my Academic Plan, moving forward I have begun to use short-term counselling services through Student Wellness Services, and I have an upcoming appointment with a physician for a mental health reassessment. I have moved back to my family home for support during this time. I am also looking into mental health services that are available outside of Queen¿¿s to address these issues in the long-term, and to give me the tools to better achieve academic success in my upcoming academic years. In making up the credits from this course, I have looked at summer courses that pique my interest to ensure timely graduation, and I have no concerns about meeting my degree requirements as this course was taken out of personal interest. The decision to drop this course is not one I take lightly, but after great consideration and discussion with professors, friends, family, and counsellors, it is what I believe what will allow for my overall success.
Thank you,

Claire Dobbie