Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop BCHM 315 and MICR 360 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty. I have been dealing with an acute flare-up of serious mental illness, which has unfortunately hindered my ability to manage a full course lead and to take my final exams.
I was struggling throughout the semester and was continually consulting with the therapists I have been seeing for the past three years, as well as a crisis counsellor from Queen's student wellness (Laurie Hooke). During this time, my mental health was up and down, and, with great difficulty, I was managing my coursework. During the week of October 25th, my mental health was reaching a breaking point and I reached out to both my private therapists and Laurie Hooke. Despite having emergency appointments with both these supports, my mental illness resulted in a stay in Kingston General Hospital's psychiatric inpatient program from October 28th-November 1st (last day to drop classes without academic penalty). After my discharge from the hospital, I did not want to make an impulsive decision to drop if there was any hope that, with enough work, I could manage to finish my coursework. I reached out to Arts & Science Considerations for extensions on some exams and assignments, including my second BCHM 315 midterm. Luckily, the professor was highly agreeable to an extension. In the weeks following my discharge, I have found it incredibly hard to keep up these demands, had to return home to have family support (November 11th), and had to arrange for residential eating disorder treatment, which began November 22nd.
I understand that it is now long past the drop deadline and getting into the final weeks of classes. I feel I must emphasize that this delay is due to both the number of changes occurring in my life within a short period of time and the hope that it would be possible to finish the semester as originally planned. Due to the format of these courses and their emphasis on exams rather than assignments, I feel that these are not courses that I can continue to move forward with.
Moving forward, I am working with my treatment team (therapists, dietician, and other support staff) to manage my mental illnesses. This plan will include residential treatment (for the time being) and continuing to meet with therapists and a dietician after my stay at residential treatment. I may additionally pursue intensive outpatient programs and support from a psychiatrist in the Kingston area. Regardless, I plan to continue EPID 401 and EPID 499 this semester and complete the requirements of these courses during the semester. Past this semester, I am hoping to return to Kingston with a full or partial course load.