Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Claire Rinfret, and I am requesting credit for 3 standing courses I took last school year (Fall and Winter semesters 2022-2023) due to extenuating circumstances out of my control. I am petitioning the faculty’s decision to allow a CR for these 3 courses; BIOL102, CHEM112 and SOCY122.
From October 2022 to June 2023, I have suffered from a chronic mental and physical health issue affecting my health and wellbeing, as well as my academics. I was unable to attend lectures, submit quality work, and developed serious depression and increased levels of generalized and social anxiety. I also started a new medication in the winter term, specifically February 2023, that significantly worsened my condition and overall mental health. I speak to a therapist through the phone regularly, however my health issues became too severe, so I stopped attending therapy. I isolated myself completely from friends and peers, and my family. I was unable to leave my room in residency and neglected my hygiene, nutrition significantly, and overall health. This majorly impacted my courses, especially Biology, Chemistry and Sociology as those courses were either incredibly assignment-heavy, or reading and lecture heavy. Due to this, my condition directly impacted these courses significantly more than the other courses I was enrolled in, and hence my grades for these courses are significantly low. My overall GPA dropped considerably, and hence has affected my degree plan as I am currently unable to apply for a BSC Psychology degree, only a general BA degree in psychology.
After the semester was over and I came home for the summer, I had to tell my parents what I was going through. Since then, I have a plan in place with my therapist to speak to her more regularly (once a month minimum) and I have spoken to my family doctor, Dr. Dare, about putting a plan in place for this academic year in order to set myself up for success and recover. So far, my return to Queens this fall has been much better, I worked hard over the summer with my personal therapist, family members and my doctor to recover and have not had a relapse of the chronic issue since June 2023. My plan is to continue seeing my therapist and I am currently searching for an in-person counsellor in the Kingston area for more accessibility. I have additionally planned my course schedules in such a way that if I relapse, my courses are easier to access, and I will be less likely to miss. My current two roommates are also aware of my condition and are a major support, whereas last year I lived alone in residence, and it was easier to isolate and hide my condition when I became majorly depressed. I also plan on scheduling an appointment with an academic advisor when I am struggling and need academic advice, or if I need to make additional changes to my schedule.
I have been a straight-A student my entire life, all through high-school I have certainly struggled with eating disorders and mental illness, but it never became severe enough of an issue to affect my grades and life as it did last year. Therefore, I am petitioning to the faculty to provide a CR for BIOL102, CHEM112 and SOCY122 due to my extenuating circumstances during the last academic year. I also have documentation attached in my overall petition submission from my doctor explaining in more depth my condition.
Sincerely,
Claire Rinfret
My name is Claire Rinfret, and I am requesting credit for 3 standing courses I took last school year (Fall and Winter semesters 2022-2023) due to extenuating circumstances out of my control. I am petitioning the faculty’s decision to allow a CR for these 3 courses; BIOL102, CHEM112 and SOCY122.
From October 2022 to June 2023, I have suffered from a chronic mental and physical health issue affecting my health and wellbeing, as well as my academics. I was unable to attend lectures, submit quality work, and developed serious depression and increased levels of generalized and social anxiety. I also started a new medication in the winter term, specifically February 2023, that significantly worsened my condition and overall mental health. I speak to a therapist through the phone regularly, however my health issues became too severe, so I stopped attending therapy. I isolated myself completely from friends and peers, and my family. I was unable to leave my room in residency and neglected my hygiene, nutrition significantly, and overall health. This majorly impacted my courses, especially Biology, Chemistry and Sociology as those courses were either incredibly assignment-heavy, or reading and lecture heavy. Due to this, my condition directly impacted these courses significantly more than the other courses I was enrolled in, and hence my grades for these courses are significantly low. My overall GPA dropped considerably, and hence has affected my degree plan as I am currently unable to apply for a BSC Psychology degree, only a general BA degree in psychology.
After the semester was over and I came home for the summer, I had to tell my parents what I was going through. Since then, I have a plan in place with my therapist to speak to her more regularly (once a month minimum) and I have spoken to my family doctor, Dr. Dare, about putting a plan in place for this academic year in order to set myself up for success and recover. So far, my return to Queens this fall has been much better, I worked hard over the summer with my personal therapist, family members and my doctor to recover and have not had a relapse of the chronic issue since June 2023. My plan is to continue seeing my therapist and I am currently searching for an in-person counsellor in the Kingston area for more accessibility. I have additionally planned my course schedules in such a way that if I relapse, my courses are easier to access, and I will be less likely to miss. My current two roommates are also aware of my condition and are a major support, whereas last year I lived alone in residence, and it was easier to isolate and hide my condition when I became majorly depressed. I also plan on scheduling an appointment with an academic advisor when I am struggling and need academic advice, or if I need to make additional changes to my schedule.
I have been a straight-A student my entire life, all through high-school I have certainly struggled with eating disorders and mental illness, but it never became severe enough of an issue to affect my grades and life as it did last year. Therefore, I am petitioning to the faculty to provide a CR for BIOL102, CHEM112 and SOCY122 due to my extenuating circumstances during the last academic year. I also have documentation attached in my overall petition submission from my doctor explaining in more depth my condition.
Sincerely,
Claire Rinfret