Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

Hello, my name is Marli Robinson, I am a fifth year art-sci student at Queen??s university and I would like to request a petition for a late withdrawal from my three classes from the fall 2022 semester. The three classes are LING 320, PSYC 342, and PSYC 336.

Nearly 2 years ago I had put in a similar petition to late withdrawal from my classes. At the time, my mental health was in a state of crisis and through my treatment journey, one of my therapists had suggested that I pursue an ADHD assessment. Given the comorbidity of depression and ADHD, as well as the presentation of many of my symptoms, I agreed that it would likely be helpful. Under my financial restraints, Queen??s services seemed the best route for the assessment. However, due to backups, I was unexpectedly waitlisted for 2 years, finally getting my chance this summer. Unfortunately, due to the very sudden reappearance of this service, I did not have time to develop a payment plan. Unsure whether this opportunity would arise again or not, I had to use the remainder of my 2022 insurance coverage for mental health services to afford this assessment. I have attached the findings of this assessment to my petition documents, but I shall also sum them up. On August 31st, I received 4 diagnoses: depression, anxiety, obsessions-compulsions and related disorders (OCRD) and Tourette??s Syndrome. I was also informed that my current medications and treatment plans were not working and that I should revise them. As September began nearly immediately after I had received this information, I was unprepared for the semester ahead of me. I found myself trying to balance 5 courses, staggered doctors appointments, new treatments, a job, extracurriculars and personal health. As the semester carried on I dropped 2 classes, reduced my work hours, met with my professors, gave up my position in my club, even tried to just focus on one class. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, my condition was not getting any better. The stress caused me to stop eating, misuse substances, neglect regular hygiene and isolate myself socially. As difficult as it has been for me to accept that I will have to extend my studies once again, I had to prioritize my health and put as much of my energy into recovery.

The past few months I have given everything I can towards doing just that. I have 2 therapy appointments booked for the new year, when my insurance renews, I have been going to the gym regularly (12x/month), I have completely stopped using all substances and have already met with an academic advisor to discuss my graduation plan. I do believe recovery is possible for me and I am implementing psychological, medicinal, and holistic treatments into my life to achieve it. I absolutely plan on completing my undergraduate degree despite these setbacks and am looking forward to the winter semester and my future here at Queen??s.

Thank you for your consideration, I hope to hear back soon.

Sincerely,

Marli Robinson
She/Her