Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Director of Studies,

I hope this letter finds you well. I would like to request an aegrotat standing for CHEE342. I completed 60% of the material but was unable to complete the course??s final 40% exam, due to my ongoing C-PTSD disability.

I have experienced the effects of C-PTSD since I was fourteen, and it has impacted my academic and personal life following that point. Despite my ability to manage my symptoms gradually improving, it is the nature of the condition that many symptoms remain unpredictable and uncontrollable. Acute bouts of symptoms come in waves that can last from a few days, to several months. My PTSD often combines with seasonal affective disorder, meaning winter is frequently a very difficult time for me. In the past, I have deferred my exams to summer to deal with this, but as a one semester exchange student, this was not an option open to me. I had hoped that the support provided by Queens and my home university would be sufficient for me to complete all my exams in the winter. However, an acute bout of symptoms occurring after the drop deadline, combined with further extenuating circumstances rendered this impossible.

I noticed my symptoms worsening in the latter half of November, leading to a decline in my performance. Upon becoming aware of this, I got help from SASS who provided me with study plans and advised me to defer my CHEE342 exam. They emphasised that I prioritised my health over work at the time, and focus on keeping my condition at bay. I also discussed potential options regarding exam arrangements with Deb Bruce at disability services. Deb was incredibly supportive and the arrangements she helped me secure were essential in allowing me to complete two of my three exams. I hope this illustrates that I made a good faith attempt to complete the full requirements of all my courses.

The worsening of my symptoms coincided with a major domestic issue between myself and the individual I was renting from. I had to leave the house and sleep on a friend??s sofa until I found new accommodation to move into. This played into the origins of my C-PTSD and worsened what was already a terrible situation.

My condition causes me to suffer the following symptoms which negatively affected my academics: learning difficulties, loss of attention and concentration, dissociation, high anxiety levels, depression, problems sleeping, loss of a system of meaning, detachment from reality, long and short-term memory difficulty. Particularly troubling are the flashbacks, visual and auditory hallucinations, and recurring anxiety, panic, and PTSD attacks, which I suffer from particularly badly. During rough patches such as the one I started experiencing in late November, I become depressed, making it difficult to eat, shower, sleep or find meaning in study. Anxiety makes it very challenging to leave the house, and if I do manage to start working, intrusive thoughts and flashbacks stop me from focussing.

I especially struggled with CHEE342, as unlike my other modules, all its material was provided in-person. This meant that I suffered particularly badly when anxiety made me unable to attend lectures or tutorials. When I did attend tutorials, anxiety made it difficult to focus and I regularly suffered hypervigilance. I frequently become hypervigilant before PTSD attacks, and I would leave the classroom on these occasions so I would not be disruptive if I had severe hallucinations or flashbacks. This issue was in part alleviated by being able to watch online recordings in my other classes. I was unable to sit the exam immediately after my first deferral as my poor condition continued throughout December and January, causing me to seek care from those close to me.

I used to maintain weekly meetings with a therapist, and regular meetings with a psychiatrist, but when I went to Canada on exchange I lost a lot of that support, which negatively impacted my condition. I felt unfamiliar with the supports systems here. In the future I will better learn and re-establish the support systems that allow me to work effectively. I have already taken steps to do this, reconnecting with my therapist and reaching out to my psychiatrist. Additionally, I have been quicker to reach out to the relevant services in my second exchange university. Furthermore, I have worked to continue the study arrangements that Deb facilitated me with at Queens, to make sure they are in place early in my exchange university. I believe these are the best remedies available to allow me to achieve my academic goals.

I hope you will consider an aegrotat standing suitable in my situation and be able to grant my request.

Thank you.