Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: REQUEST 1 I am appealing to drop the PHIL 157 ?? Moral Issues (Winter 2022) past the drop deadline without academic penalty.
I have missed the drop date and I have discussed the course requirements with my professor. The best option for me is to drop this course, without academic penalty. My professor supports this decision and has advised that I would be welcome to take it again if I choose to.

REQUEST 2 I am appealing to drop PSYC 100 ?? Principles of Psychology (Fall/Winter 2021-22) past the drop deadline without academic penalty.
I have consulted with the Faculty Coordinator and I have been advised that I am not permitted to have an extension to write the exam nor submit the winter lab that I did not complete. I have missed a lot of labs for this course. Even if I scored well on the exam to pass the course, I believe the best option for me is to drop the course, without academic penalty, and re-take it during the summer so that I have a solid foundation in this area. I cannot be effective in my second year courses if I do not have the right skillset and foundation to be gained from the first year course, and I am planning to major in psychology so gaining this understanding is important to me. The Faculty Coordinator supports my decision to drop this course and take it from the start again.

NOTE: For the other 3 courses I am currently enrolled in, specifically IDIS199, PHIL111 and SOCY122, each of the professors have agreed to mark these courses as Incomplete until they have the final grades to enter. I have been granted an extension to hand in assignments and/or defer my exams for each of these courses.

Outline of Extenuating Circumstances
I have experienced a very difficult first year. It has not been remotely close to anything that I anticipated. The restrictions that came with Covid in early fall resulted in me being isolated in my dorm room to avoid Covid exposure and this isolation started affecting my mental health. I did not have much of an opportunity to make any friends and my roommate in Watts Hall (who did not identify as strictly male or female) was very depressive and emotional, I did not have that ??buddy? person to try and engage with to join social experiences outside of our residence room. By mid-October, 2021 I found myself becoming depressed and withdrawn and my mom would come and spend weekends with me to take me out and give me some company. By late-October, I started having trouble focusing on my studies. By early December I was anxious a lot and my hair started falling out from the stress of being so lonely and isolated. In November, 2021 I was getting more concerned about my younger brother who is 16 and suffering from major depressive disorder and social anxiety. He started cutting himself and I was really worried about him. Shortly after Christmas, my brother became suicidal. It was at this same time, I started to feel more depressed and overwhelmed but I was afraid to share this with my parents because of what they were already trying to manage with my brother??s situation. The impact of my depression and the fear of losing my brother left me feeling paralyzed most days and I was unable to focus on my studies, not even being able to look at my laptop without feeling completely lost. I would have panic attacks when I tried to review course assignments. I have also been suffering from chronic abdominal and back pain and intense acne for over 2 years which contributed to my declining mental health. In early March, 2022 I finally received a diagnosis after a lot of testing and learned that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, on top of the already diagnosed curvature of the spine in 2 spots. This diagnosis explained why I always feel fatigued and challenged to get through a day without feeling constantly tired. In early March as well, my dad ended up off of work and having surgery and that contributed to my anxiety. I feel everything I was going through on a personal level from fall term to almost the end of winter term prevented me from concentrating and putting focus on my studies because my mind was always thinking about everything bad happening in our lives. I found it very difficult to manage school work. The panic attacks were paralyzing for me.

I believe the circumstances that have affected my physical and mental health have improved in the last few weeks and will continue to improve. With my recent diagnosis that took a lengthy time to get, I am finally now seeing specialists (i.e. nutritionist, gynaecologist, dermatologist, chiropractor) that can help me with my physical problems that are all interconnected. I am also working with my family doctor to try an anxiety medication and we are arranging for a therapist to help me manage my anxiety and treat my depression. My mom has also taken a leave from work to spend time helping my brother with his studies and ensure he is getting the professional help he needs and this helps me feel less nervous about my brother??s future. I feel like I have more control over what is now happening and that I can manage and focus on my studies and put the time and effort in that is needed to succeed in them.

I have always wanted to attend Queen??s for my studies. My doctor and my family have helped me understand now, that everything just became too much too fast for me and they were things that were out of my control that had a direct effect on my well-being. In retrospect, I know now that I should have reached out to my family and academic advisors sooner for help. I did not realize that I had options. I truly believe that I am on a healthier track to be able to manage my studies going forward. I now have the resources I need to have a positive effect on my health and my studies.

PLAN GOING FORWARD ?? FOR SUMMER SESSION 2022
I am currently enrolled in LAW 201 and would like to enroll in PSYC 100. Taking these two courses will help me catch up on the credits that I have not earned in year one.

PLAN GOING FORWARD ?? FOR FALL/WINTER 2022-23
I would like to be in a position to return to Queen??s to continue my undergraduate studies in September, 2022. I propose to take 4 courses in the fall term, to not overload myself and give myself time to get back into the campus community. Of course, I am hopeful that all courses will be in-person and I will have an opportunity to regularly connect in-person with classmates. I will also reach out to the mentor and peer support groups for support and utilize the guidance my TA??s can offer.

Thank you for the opportunity to present my case to drop courses without academic penalty and demonstrate that I am taking steps to move forward with my studies.