Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop ENGL 356, PHIL 153, and PHIL 276. I am also appealing for AG standing in ENGL 290. Further, I am appealing a requirement to withdraw, should such a requirement be imposed.

Since late last October, I have been struggling with severe mental health issues that have been affecting my ability to function. For the first two months of the fall semester, I was doing well in my classes, attending and participating regularly, and submitting my work on time. After reading week, I experienced a disruptive personal problem that exacerbated my pre-existing mental health issues and brought symptoms related to my disability to an unexpected level. My ability to concentrate, to sustain attention, and to make effective decisions was impaired, and this significantly affected my academic performance. After that, I began struggling to attend classes regularly and to submit assignments, and I had increasing difficulties for the remainder of the semester. In early November, I reached out to QSAS to set up accommodations in my courses, as I believed that this would enable me to cope with the mental health issues that I was experiencing. Because I had taken this step, and had reached out to my professors about the situation, I believed that I could successfully finish the semester, and that my symptoms would be resolved in time.

In PHIL 153, I successfully completed the first comment sheet assignment in early October with a grade of B+. However, due to the issues I was experiencing, I missed the second assignment that was due on November 1st, which was the drop deadline. At this point, I believed that I could still complete and submit the assignment by the end of the week for a reduced grade, as was stated on the syllabus, and so I did not withdraw on November 1st. However, as my mental health challenges continued, I quickly fell further behind. In mid November, I met with my QSAS advisor, and spoke with her about the ways in which my mental health status had been impacting me academically, asking what my best option would be in this course. She contacted the course instructor on my behalf, who agreed to accept my two outstanding assignments. However, she also informed me that I could request a late withdrawal in PHIL-153 if I felt that I would not be able to complete my outstanding work due to my mental health status, and that I could use my psychological assessment as documentation of my mental health status in order to support my appeal. She said that this was not a time-sensitive matter because I had until the end of the following semester to appeal for withdrawal, and that it might be best for me to focus on the other courses in which I was less behind. For this reason, I chose to focus my attention on my other courses, since PHIL 153 was an elective. I did not attempt the remaining assignments in the course, which is why I am now requesting a late withdrawal in PHIL 153.

Because ENGL 290 is an important program prerequisite, I made it my priority. When the November drop deadline passed I had no outstanding work in this course. However, because of the mental health issues I was experiencing, I was unable to submit the mid term essay (due November 9th) on time. On November 15, I contacted the course instructor, Dr. Fanning, and told him that I had been dealing with personal health issues that had delayed my submission of the mid-term essay. I also requested an extension on the final research essay assignment (worth 30% of the total grade), as my QSAS accommodations provided me with the ability to request a one-week extension on assignments. He agreed to accept my mid-term essay, which I eventually submitted on December 1st, and he granted me an extension on the research essay. We spoke about my situation after class on November 29th, and he said that if I couldn??t complete my research essay by the extended deadline of December 10th, then that was okay, and he would be willing to offer me additional time as needed. Although my difficulties were ongoing throughout December, I did attempt the final exam on December 16, and was successful. My grades from the group presentation, the midterm essay, class participation, and the final exam, which were collectively worth 70% of the total grade, all averaged to an 85.9%, or an A.

Because of the mental health issues I was experiencing, I increasingly struggled to sustain concentration on my work throughout December, and my research essay was still outstanding. In late December, Dr. Fanning contacted me and said that he had submitted my final grade because of grade submission deadlines, but that he was still willing to accept my essay and would revise my mark accordingly. He suggested that we should confer about my situation. I planned to respond to him and complete the essay as soon as I could, so that the grade of C- would not remain on my transcript. However, due to a mental health crisis I experienced at the beginning of January which caused extensive issues for me throughout the entire winter semester, I was ultimately unable to follow up with him and complete the research essay assignment, meaning that I earned a final grade of C- in the course.

Because the deadline to change a grade from a previous semester is April 30, it is no longer possible for me to complete the outstanding essay and request a change of grade. Therefore, I am requesting AG standing in ENGL 290. In order to stay in my honours program, I have to maintain a GPA above 1.9 in the English courses that I take, so receiving a C- (1.7) would put me at risk of not being able to continue as an honours student. As well, a mark of C- does not accurately reflect my understanding of course material or my performance on course assessments in ENGL 290, which was consistently at an A level. As to the final assignment itself, it is a standard research essay with an annotated bibliography component. I have completed similar assignments in multiple courses at my previous institution, and my work was consistently graded at an A or A+. I can, upon request, provide examples of this 2019-2021 coursework and the grades and feedback that I received to prove that this assessment format is familiar to me, and to support my claim that missing the research essay in ENGL 290 has not caused me to fall short of any learning outcomes or created a significant deficit in my academic skills that should be reflected on my transcript. I have already contacted Dr. Fanning about my intention to appeal for AG standing, and he has agreed to support my appeal.

At the end of the fall term, I had three outstanding assignments in my full-year course, ENGL 356. I had contacted the instructor in November when my mental health difficulties began, and she stated that I should not worry about deadlines in the course for the remainder of the semester, because she was willing to be flexible about them, and that I could submit my work whenever I was capable of doing so. Because I was struggling with continued mental health issues throughout November and December, I did not submit my outstanding assignments from the fall term at the time. I believed that I would be able to start making up my missed work over winter break, and I planned to discuss my situation with the course instructor at the beginning of the winter semester to make a plan to finish catching up. However, during winter break, my issues culminated, and in early January I experienced a serious mental health crisis. At this point I considered withdrawing from university altogether, but I believed that, by reducing my course load to three (my two fall-winter courses, ENGL 356 and 375, and a single winter course, PHIL 276), and using my academic accommodations in the winter semester, I would be able to persevere. I still believed that it would be in my best interests financially and academically to try to complete my outstanding work and finish the year. I reached out to my primary care physician for assistance in January, and informed him that I had been struggling academically due to a serious exacerbation of the pre-existing mental health issues that he had treated me for in the past. He adjusted my medication with the goal of helping me function and regain my productivity, and I hoped things would improve, but I continued to struggle. Ultimately my mental health challenges were serious and ongoing, and with the switch to online learning for the first half of the term, I was unable to participate academically and to keep track of class times, due dates and deadline dates. Throughout the term, because of my ongoing mental health issues, I was struggling with basic functionality in every area of my life. Due to my symptoms, I was not able to attend classes, complete readings or assignments, or keep track of the university email communications that I was receiving, and so I was not in communication with my instructors. As a result, although I had academic accommodations from QSAS, I was not utilizing them during this period, and they did not serve as a mitigating factor in the mental health situation that I was dealing with. Throughout the winter semester I did not successfully complete or submit any of the assignments in ENGL 356, PHIlL 268, or ENGL 375, including the final assessments. Because my acute mental health difficulties were consuming so much of my life, I was disconnected from my academic situation in general and was unable to make university a priority, so I was not checking the calendar of academic dates and deadlines. I missed the March deadline to withdraw, and I did not realize that I had missed my chance to drop these courses without academic penalty until after the date had passed. In March, I once again reached out to my primary care physician seeking support for my mental health. He once again adjusted my medication, and recommended that, in the interest of my mental health, I should seek a late withdrawal from my courses. He instructed me to look into what documentation would be necessary to appeal for such a withdrawal, and to then make a follow-up appointment where he would provide me with such documentation, including a letter attesting to the continual mental health issues I have been experiencing since last term. This is why I am now appealing for late withdrawal from ENGL-368 and PHIL 253.

In CLAS-101, which I took in Fall 2021, the final grade was entirely based on four short in-class multiple-choice tests, so there was no requirement for me to submit any assignments. Therefore, my performance in this course was not impacted very much by the mental health situation that I was experiencing last fall. Also, I had extensive pre-existing knowledge of the course material due to personal interest and overlap with other courses I had taken. These mitigating factors meant that I was still able to pass the course with an A+.

In the other full-year course I was taking, ENGL 375, my mental health situation did impact my ability to complete my work, and I have three outstanding assignments?? one from the fall term, and two from the winter term. Additionally, I had to request a deferred exam in this course because of disability-related symptoms. However, a large percentage of the final grade in this course is based on two in-class tests from last fall, which occurred before my mental health struggles became as serious. I did complete these assessments, and received A??s on both. The instructor has agreed to allow me to write the deferred exam, which I will attempt in May, and has stated that if I can submit my remaining outstanding assignments before next semester begins, she will initiate a change of grade. Although I am still struggling, I have been accessing supports, and have recently seen some improvement in my condition. Therefore, my hope is that I will be functional enough to complete my outstanding work by this deadline and salvage my grade. For this reason, although my performance in this course has suffered significantly, I am not seeking a late withdrawal.

Documentation

My attached recent psychological assessment can support my claims by documenting that, in the past, I have experienced complex mental health issues that have impacted my ability to perform to the best of my academic abilities and that constitute a mental health disability. It can also support the fact that, due to my mental health status, stressors can precipitate a crisis, and that my symptoms can interfere with my ability to concentrate and make effective decisions, which has impacted my ability to adequately respond to the academic difficulties I have been dealing with this year. As previously stated, I will provide additional documentation from my primary care physician to confirm the extent to which my mental health has been impacting my academic performance over the term. I have an appointment scheduled for next week, and following that appointment I will provide this letter, as well as an off-campus physician form.

I am committed to consulting with a faculty advisor as soon as I can to discuss the next steps for the successful completion of my degree. If my appeal for late withdrawal and AG standing in these courses is not granted, then my GPA will reach a level where I will face academic penalties. In such an event, I do not believe that I should be required to withdraw for a period of one year or a period of three years. When I applied for an upper-year transfer to Queen??s last year, I had a cumulative GPA from my previous two years of study that was equivalent to a Queen??s 4.0. My transfer credits are excluded from my Queen??s GPA, meaning that my current low GPA is a reflection of the circumstances I have been dealing with this past year, and does not provide an adequate picture of my academic capabilities. My previous consistent success in university speaks to the fact that the events of this past year have caused my academic performance to suffer in a significant and unprecedented way. As well, my grades were impacted this past year due to my inability to complete and submit work. Before my prolonged mental health issues began in October, I was functioning at a level where I was able to work consistently, and my graded coursework from this period ranged from A+ to B+, showing that I am a capable student. The number of credits I have missed this past year will already require me to take an additional year to complete my remaining degree requirements, so I believe that a requirement to withdraw would only further derail my progress. Given that the academic difficulties I experienced during this past year were caused by factors outside of my control, such a requirement would be, in my opinion, unfair.