Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: March 27, 2022


Office of the Associate Dean, (Academic)
Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science
Dean's Office, First Floor Dunning Hall

Subject: Appeal for removal of Psychology 100 and Philosophy 111 from my Transcript

Dear Dr. Atkinson,

I wish I didn??t have to write this letter asking for this appeal, but I feel I have to.

In January, I acknowledged I was having mental health issues. I was hoping it would get better, but since then my mental health has become worse. During Reading Week, I opened up to my friends and family about how bad it actually has been. I knew I needed help now and couldn??t put it off any longer. Even though I had reached out to the Bounce Back program in late January, I had not reached out for mental health support. I thought I was able to cope with my issues, but I realized I needed professional help. My parents immediately kept me home from school and got me help right away.

I had my first appointment with my doctor and was completely honest with her. She started me on medication for depression. She also suggested therapy and recommended I be tested for ADHD/ADD. We are now waiting to get an assessment, at the end of May.

We connected with Queens Student Wellness Services, and I had my first conversation with a therapist at Queens on March 2. We now talk every 2 weeks and I am also close to finding a Therapist in Toronto.

During my first week of treatment, I wanted to see if I could continue online. My Mom and I talked to an Academic Advisor, we knew we only had 5 days until March 4th, when you could drop a course without academic penalty. We decided to drop Economics, so I could minimize my workload, and try to continue online with my 3 other courses. I really wanted to try, and we received accommodations for my courses, but it just wasn??t enough.
I tried for a few weeks, but it proved too much. Last Sunday, I sat down with my parents and said I just couldn??t get the work done. The stress it was causing was starting to overwhelm me.

You may ask why I am not asking to remove The Health and Wellness Course that I am doing? This course is actually helping me through a challenging time in my life. I can focus on this course, and I am getting good marks and I can apply what I am learning to help my situation. The main assignment was to set a behaviour goal, and I did. I am getting on the bike 20-25 mins a day and walking for 45 minutes every day. It??s helping me with my confidence and my doctor stressed to me, how important physical activity is to my mental health recovery.

In hindsight I should have dropped my Psychology and Philosophy course when I dropped the Economics course before the deadline, but I really wanted to try. I am sorry I didn??t. In my Philosophy course I could only finish 1 of 4 assignments, and the thought of having to wait and do a psych exam that I was not prepared for started to overwhelm me with anxiety. My parents saw my stress increasing and the anxiety taking hold and knew we had to act.

I truly hope that all the steps I am taking to improve my mental health will allow me to start anew next year. I enjoy Queens, I have a great support system with my roommates there, and the therapist has been very helpful. My first year has not been what I had hoped, but I am committed to getting better, and look forward to the future.


Jack Reid