Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

I am writing to appeal my course grade as well as the 21-day deadline for MATH 121B (Winter 2019) and BIOL 341 (Winter 2020). I received a C- in MATH 121B, which I am writing to appeal for Credit standing (CR). I also received a C in BIOL 341, which I would like to appeal for CR or Passing (P) status, given that it was a course taken in the Winter 2020 semester. At the time of taking BIOL 341 it counted toward my given major, thus, during the pandemic I could not apply for Pass/Fail standing (I have since changed my major such that BIOL 341 counts as an elective).

I have the same extenuating circumstances for both courses, however, at the time of enrollment I was not aware of the magnitude to which my circumstances were affecting me. As well, during my first two years at Queen's I was not aware of the appeals process and only learned about it from a friend in September 2021. I have not fully had the time to pursue this process until now, following another academically rigorous year.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety related to a clinical eating disorder since 2014 (see below for a specific timeline). The stress and pressure of attending University caused my eating disorder to relapse during the 2018-2019 academic year, and again in winter 2020. MATH 121B and BIOL 341 suffered the brunt of my condition as both of these courses are known to require a lot of practice as well as a rigorous work load - both of which I was not able to sustain due to outside circumstances. Additionally, at the time I did not consider dropping a course a viable option - I saw it as equivalent to failing. I did not apply for Academic Accommodations at the time as I remained undiagnosed until Spring 2020 - therefore, before that time I thought what I was experiencing was normal.

During MATH 121B my anxiety, depression, and associated eating disorder (ED) prevented me from practicing the course content thoroughly enough to achieve a mark consistent with my other grades. During BIOL 341, I experienced another relapse of my eating disorder which was exacerbated by the stress of a week-long field course during February break, 2020.

Timeline:
2014 - 2016: symptoms of depression and anxiety associated with Anorexia Nervosa, restriction subtype.
2016: Clinically qualified for Anorexia Nervosa as self-reported and diagnosed by Dr. Pikard in Winter 2020.
2018: Attend Queens University, start to relapse with ED due to academic stressors
2019: ED relapse, self-harming behaviors in the form of over-exercising
Dec 2019 -Aug 2020: ED relapse - Atypical Anorexia Nervosa diagnosis by Dr. Pikard
Sept 2020 - April 2021: leave of absence from Queens to fulfill treatment with Eating
Disorder Recovery Specialists.
Sept 2021: Return to Queens, sought counseling through Student Wellness Services.

The attached Academic plan details how I will achieve future success.

Academic Plan
During the past academic year (Fall 2021/Winter 2022) I created an academic plan to help myself re-focus and get reacquainted with my studies. I have since modified this plan following much self-reflection, trial and error. My plan consisted of taking 4 courses in Fall 2021 to get re-adjusted to school. In Winter 2022 I felt ready for a full course load, but chose too many demanding courses and was thus not able to fully achieve the marks that I wanted. Moving forward, I have decided to add a 5th year to my degree to complete a Psychology Minor and International Studies Certificate along with my Life Sciences BSc (Hons). I plan to spread out my core courses and electives, as well as take at least 1 course each summer, in order to manage my workload and achieve high marks.
Additionally, my self-care routine is maintained by regular checkups with a counselor through Queens Student Wellness Services, which I started last fall and have been continuing this spring. I also regularly check-in with my family and loved ones, journal, and practice techniques as taught to me by Eating Disorder Recovery Specialists.