Petition Letter
To the Associate Dean of Studies,
My name is Hannah McClean and I am writing this letter to you to appeal the one term deadline so that I may submit a subsequent appeal to drop two classes that I took during the Fall semester of 2016 past the academic deadline.
I was unable to submit an appeal within the one term deadline due to several extenuating circumstances that were beyond my control, which included both personal health issues as well as the death of my grandfather. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the end of my first year of studies here at Queen's (Winter, 2016). During the Fall semester of 2016, both of the disorders that I was dealing with became much more severe and my mental health deteriorated, which in turn negatively impacted my academic ability and performance in all of my courses. The effects of these illnesses made it very hard for me to leave my room on most days as well as to focus for extended periods of time, which in turn impacted my ability to attend class or complete assignments on time. I therefore started regularly seeing a doctor and began taking medication so as to aid in my recovery. I also made the decision to only take three courses in the Winter semester of 2017 so that I could ease back into my academics while at the same time focus on recovering from my personal health struggles.
I made an appointment to see an academic advisor during the Winter 2017 semester so that I could start my appeal for the Fall 2016 classes which I wanted to drop within the one term deadline, and take control over my academic future. I had started to write my appeal before the exam period and was set to get medical documentation to support my letter, but was unable to complete it as I was faced with several additional extenuating issues that arose within the same time period. I was still coping with the detrimental effects of the mental illnesses that I was facing, and was forced to stop taking the medication that I had been prescribed due to adverse side effects. During this same time period my grandfather Gerald Speight fell critically ill and was admitted to the hospital in an Intensive Care Unit where he was put on life support. He did not recover from this sickness and passed away at the end of the Winter semester. This had a severe impact on myself as well as my family, which sent me into another depressive episode. The combination of these events that were ongoing in my life had an extremely serious and negative impact on my personal health, which rendered myself incapable of completing my appeal during the allotted time frame.
After having to return home to Toronto following my grandfather's death, I attempted to get the medical documentation I required from Queen's Health Services but was informed that my doctor had moved to a different institution and that I needed to return to Kingston to see a different doctor for another diagnosis. This was not possible for me as once I had recovered enough to start work during the summer I was away from home full-time, and it was not possible for me to be given the adequate time off to make the trip to Kingston. I was also unable to see a different medical professional as I was in a remote town working at a camp with limited time off and no access to transportation. Therefore, it was not possible for me to see another doctor until I returned to Kingston to start school for the current semester of Fall 2017. Immediately after returning to Queen's I made an appointment with Queen's Health services and received the proper medical documentation that was needed so that I could write and submit my appeal as soon as it was possible. I would like to thank you in advance for your consideration on this matter.
Sincerely,
Hannah McClean
My name is Hannah McClean and I am writing this letter to you to appeal the one term deadline so that I may submit a subsequent appeal to drop two classes that I took during the Fall semester of 2016 past the academic deadline.
I was unable to submit an appeal within the one term deadline due to several extenuating circumstances that were beyond my control, which included both personal health issues as well as the death of my grandfather. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the end of my first year of studies here at Queen's (Winter, 2016). During the Fall semester of 2016, both of the disorders that I was dealing with became much more severe and my mental health deteriorated, which in turn negatively impacted my academic ability and performance in all of my courses. The effects of these illnesses made it very hard for me to leave my room on most days as well as to focus for extended periods of time, which in turn impacted my ability to attend class or complete assignments on time. I therefore started regularly seeing a doctor and began taking medication so as to aid in my recovery. I also made the decision to only take three courses in the Winter semester of 2017 so that I could ease back into my academics while at the same time focus on recovering from my personal health struggles.
I made an appointment to see an academic advisor during the Winter 2017 semester so that I could start my appeal for the Fall 2016 classes which I wanted to drop within the one term deadline, and take control over my academic future. I had started to write my appeal before the exam period and was set to get medical documentation to support my letter, but was unable to complete it as I was faced with several additional extenuating issues that arose within the same time period. I was still coping with the detrimental effects of the mental illnesses that I was facing, and was forced to stop taking the medication that I had been prescribed due to adverse side effects. During this same time period my grandfather Gerald Speight fell critically ill and was admitted to the hospital in an Intensive Care Unit where he was put on life support. He did not recover from this sickness and passed away at the end of the Winter semester. This had a severe impact on myself as well as my family, which sent me into another depressive episode. The combination of these events that were ongoing in my life had an extremely serious and negative impact on my personal health, which rendered myself incapable of completing my appeal during the allotted time frame.
After having to return home to Toronto following my grandfather's death, I attempted to get the medical documentation I required from Queen's Health Services but was informed that my doctor had moved to a different institution and that I needed to return to Kingston to see a different doctor for another diagnosis. This was not possible for me as once I had recovered enough to start work during the summer I was away from home full-time, and it was not possible for me to be given the adequate time off to make the trip to Kingston. I was also unable to see a different medical professional as I was in a remote town working at a camp with limited time off and no access to transportation. Therefore, it was not possible for me to see another doctor until I returned to Kingston to start school for the current semester of Fall 2017. Immediately after returning to Queen's I made an appointment with Queen's Health services and received the proper medical documentation that was needed so that I could write and submit my appeal as soon as it was possible. I would like to thank you in advance for your consideration on this matter.
Sincerely,
Hannah McClean