Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To: Associate Dean (Academic)

I am appealing to drop GPHY 348 (Winter 2021), GPHY 402 (Winter 2021) and GPHY 336 (Spring 2021). I am also appealing the extension of an incomplete grade for INTN 305 (Fall 2019).

Since 2018, I have suffered from mental health issues I could not have foreseen that have continually hindered my abilities as a student. Despite my best efforts and responsible academic planning, I could not have anticipated the deterioration of my mental health over the past few years. My diagnosis is complex, making academic and professional life very difficult to plan for. My treatment plan has been one outside my control, often requiring unplanned visits to the hospital and a convoluted pursuit of different medications. In the past six months I have needed four medication changes, occurring anytime in an academic term, and resulting in serious side effects. In some cases, a prescribed medication was not only ineffective, but worsening my health.

My mental health became significantly more difficult to manage upon return from a professional internship in Fall 2019. I was forced to drop my courses and temporarily focus on my health, making me unable to submit the final report necessary to complete INTN 305. I proactively took less courses over the following few years and since then I have leveraged a robust support network of medical professionals, both inside and outside Queen??s. I have registered accommodations with QSAS and consulted advisors in Arts and Science, Undergraduate Geography Office and Student Wellness Services. Coupled with medical professionals outside Queen's, I have always made the best decisions considering the state of my health. Despite these efforts, my evolving diagnosis and sudden changes in mental health have left me suffering late in the term. In Winter 2021 I had a sustainable balance between health and school, but by late March of 2021, rapidly deteriorating mental health and medication changes forced me to abandon GPHY 348 and GPHY 402 past the drop deadline. In Spring 2021, my health deteriorated in early June, past the drop deadline for GPHY 336. Proactively, I dropped my remaining Summer 2021 courses before their respective deadlines. Not long after, I was hospitalized out of concern for my mental health, administered new medications and treated as part of my evolving diagnosis. In both Winter and Summer 2021, my health did not affect my studies starting the term, but became much worse later in each term.

I started my undergrad at Queen??s nearly 8 years ago and as my academic records show, I am a strong student on track to graduate with a BAH-GPHY and two certificates. I have continually valued my learning and taken advantage of supports available to me. I approached Winter and Summer 2021 as I have all my terms at Queen??s ?? with sound planning and the optimism that I had found a balance between my academics and mental health. Despite this, my complex and unpredictable diagnosis affected me deep into a term and forced me to prioritize my health.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience and for considering my appeal.

Sincerely,
Conor Spencer