Petition Letter
March 14, 2018
Associate Dean of Arts and Science
Queen¿¿s University
Appeal Submission:
Request to drop courses for the W2018 semester without academic penalty
Please accept this letter as my official request to drop all my courses in the winter 2018 semester without academic penalty. Extenuating personal circumstances are preventing me from being able to complete my assignments and focus on my studies, and although I considered dropping my courses by the March 2, 2018 deadline, I have never done this before and being nervous about it, I attempted unwisely to continue. I now regret that decision and it is clear to me that in order to regain my health and improve my life I need to drop my courses for this semester.
In 2017 I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an anxiety disorder. Symptoms of my disorders include depression, night terrors, unrationalized paranoia, lack of appetite, among others. My general physician has been helping me with a cocktail of medications over the past year, which sometimes help for a time, but the chemistry seems to change often, and I have to get used to new side effects or diminishing effectiveness in cycles. My marriage has suffered greatly in the last year and things are extremely stressful at home. I have not been sleeping or eating regularly. I have found myself abusing drugs and alcohol to try to mitigate the side effects of my medications, and cope with the impacts of my illness that my medications aren¿¿t addressing yet. My physician tells me it can sometimes take a long time to get the chemistry correct and I am impatient and desperate to cope. I am seeking treatment for my substance abuse with a Registered Nurse Counsellor on March 15, 2018, and depending on the assessment, I may follow up with my psychologist. Self-medicating has made it easier to cope with my illnesses, but it has impacted my life negatively and made it impossible to study. Getting to the point where I am requesting to drop my courses has been the wake-up call I needed to seek support and find another way to cope with my illnesses while I exercise patience with my prescriptions.
I have been feeling very overwhelmed between work and school, and my LAW203 course has been having so many technological issues and changes to the assignments and timeline in the past week alone, I am finding it very stressful and difficult to keep on top of things. The instructor has been sending multiple emails with changes daily lately, and I feel bombarded with so many moving pieces on top of the regular stress of school that my anxiety has increased. The instructor commented that,
¿¿Many of you have expressed frustration with the changing timeline and the delay in grading. Rest assured the teaching team understands your frustration, as we hope you can understand our frustrations with the unexpected changes and obstacles that we have had to fold into the course. Very little goes to plan, regardless of how well one organizes at the front end....Certainly students are well entitled to express their concerns and frustrations to the administration, to me or to the TAs. However, in doing so please realize that the teaching team is managing the needs and expectations of over 100 people, our own complex schedules, as well as working with a new platform and teaching materials we do not always control.
However, I am dissatisfied with the organization of this course, particularly in light of my current health and home status, juggling school and work. These course issues were the final straw, so to speak.
I have no family support as I grew up in the foster care system. I have been on my own since I was 17 years old. My best friend of over 15 years was recently diagnosed with HIV and although current medical science indicates this is not a death sentence anymore, I am overwhelmed with grief and am prone to periods of intense depression. He has needed my support lately and I am finding myself stretched very thin. My job is also very demanding and requires odd hours and travel, which I must make a priority as it is my sole source of income.
My transfer credit history shows my dedication to higher education. Before transferring to Queen¿¿s University, I had an 8.6 GPA (out of 9) and won four academic awards and scholarships in my business school program, including the BC Lieutenant Governor¿¿s Silver Medal. I was selected to receive the H.W Curran Prize in my first semester at Queen¿¿s for obtaining the highest grade of any new student in the summer semester. I am an excellent student who has had a very rough time over the past couple of years, and in this past year in particular. I know that if I can take this much needed break from school, seek the mental health support I need, and take the time to rebuild my life and my health, I can return as that same high-achieving student I was so recently.
Approval of my request would go a long way to helping me regain my mental health and focus on rebuilding my life in a healthy and positive way. Please understand how devastating and embarrassing this request is for me to make. I cherish my education and feel so privileged to be a student at Queen¿¿s. Please allow me this opportunity to improve my health and return to the calibre of academic work that Queen¿¿s deserves from me.
I thank you most sincerely for your consideration.
Robin Adams
20036687
Associate Dean of Arts and Science
Queen¿¿s University
Appeal Submission:
Request to drop courses for the W2018 semester without academic penalty
Please accept this letter as my official request to drop all my courses in the winter 2018 semester without academic penalty. Extenuating personal circumstances are preventing me from being able to complete my assignments and focus on my studies, and although I considered dropping my courses by the March 2, 2018 deadline, I have never done this before and being nervous about it, I attempted unwisely to continue. I now regret that decision and it is clear to me that in order to regain my health and improve my life I need to drop my courses for this semester.
In 2017 I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an anxiety disorder. Symptoms of my disorders include depression, night terrors, unrationalized paranoia, lack of appetite, among others. My general physician has been helping me with a cocktail of medications over the past year, which sometimes help for a time, but the chemistry seems to change often, and I have to get used to new side effects or diminishing effectiveness in cycles. My marriage has suffered greatly in the last year and things are extremely stressful at home. I have not been sleeping or eating regularly. I have found myself abusing drugs and alcohol to try to mitigate the side effects of my medications, and cope with the impacts of my illness that my medications aren¿¿t addressing yet. My physician tells me it can sometimes take a long time to get the chemistry correct and I am impatient and desperate to cope. I am seeking treatment for my substance abuse with a Registered Nurse Counsellor on March 15, 2018, and depending on the assessment, I may follow up with my psychologist. Self-medicating has made it easier to cope with my illnesses, but it has impacted my life negatively and made it impossible to study. Getting to the point where I am requesting to drop my courses has been the wake-up call I needed to seek support and find another way to cope with my illnesses while I exercise patience with my prescriptions.
I have been feeling very overwhelmed between work and school, and my LAW203 course has been having so many technological issues and changes to the assignments and timeline in the past week alone, I am finding it very stressful and difficult to keep on top of things. The instructor has been sending multiple emails with changes daily lately, and I feel bombarded with so many moving pieces on top of the regular stress of school that my anxiety has increased. The instructor commented that,
¿¿Many of you have expressed frustration with the changing timeline and the delay in grading. Rest assured the teaching team understands your frustration, as we hope you can understand our frustrations with the unexpected changes and obstacles that we have had to fold into the course. Very little goes to plan, regardless of how well one organizes at the front end....Certainly students are well entitled to express their concerns and frustrations to the administration, to me or to the TAs. However, in doing so please realize that the teaching team is managing the needs and expectations of over 100 people, our own complex schedules, as well as working with a new platform and teaching materials we do not always control.
However, I am dissatisfied with the organization of this course, particularly in light of my current health and home status, juggling school and work. These course issues were the final straw, so to speak.
I have no family support as I grew up in the foster care system. I have been on my own since I was 17 years old. My best friend of over 15 years was recently diagnosed with HIV and although current medical science indicates this is not a death sentence anymore, I am overwhelmed with grief and am prone to periods of intense depression. He has needed my support lately and I am finding myself stretched very thin. My job is also very demanding and requires odd hours and travel, which I must make a priority as it is my sole source of income.
My transfer credit history shows my dedication to higher education. Before transferring to Queen¿¿s University, I had an 8.6 GPA (out of 9) and won four academic awards and scholarships in my business school program, including the BC Lieutenant Governor¿¿s Silver Medal. I was selected to receive the H.W Curran Prize in my first semester at Queen¿¿s for obtaining the highest grade of any new student in the summer semester. I am an excellent student who has had a very rough time over the past couple of years, and in this past year in particular. I know that if I can take this much needed break from school, seek the mental health support I need, and take the time to rebuild my life and my health, I can return as that same high-achieving student I was so recently.
Approval of my request would go a long way to helping me regain my mental health and focus on rebuilding my life in a healthy and positive way. Please understand how devastating and embarrassing this request is for me to make. I cherish my education and feel so privileged to be a student at Queen¿¿s. Please allow me this opportunity to improve my health and return to the calibre of academic work that Queen¿¿s deserves from me.
I thank you most sincerely for your consideration.
Robin Adams
20036687