Petition Letter
November 13, 2014
Dear Associate Dean:
The subject of this letter is my inability to submit a timely appeal for my grades within twenty one days of the end of term, in April, and in the succeeding months of Summer and Fall. This was due to anticipation and further recovery from a major operation in May while simultaneously suffering from clinical depression.
On May 26, 2014 I underwent hip replacement surgery to correct a longstanding disability and chronic pain. The anticipation and preparation for such a major operation was already strenuous, and exacerbated by insomnia caused by the above-mentioned depression. Following the operation I spent weeks convalescing, barely mobile, on pain-killers and in no state to pursue this appeal. After this recovery period I devoted much of my time to my lengthy rehabilitation which was complicated by the severity of my former disability. Indeed, my rehabilitation ended only recently, in the last of week of October.
As I recovered from my operation, I also found myself having to confront the issues plaguing my mental well-being: my persistent insomnia and depression. It was not until the first week of July that I found myself in a psychiatrist¿¿s office, that of Dr. Paupst, and it was the first time I had been given any kind of medical and psychological understanding of what had befallen my mental state. However, this understanding was limited and marked only the beginning of the process that would eventually deliver me from my depression. From the referral of the same psychiatrist I began therapy with a psychologist, Dr. McLean. Over the months of August, September and October, more and more light was shed on the causes of my depression. It was not until recently that I had a sufficient understanding of all the factors that affected my past school performance to draft an appropriate appeal to your office.
I strongly value my future at Queen¿¿s University, and greatly desire to succeed there. When I return to school in January, as I intend, I very much hope to be given the opportunity to be judged only on my academic performance while in full health of body and mind.
With many thanks,
Austin MacDonald
Dear Associate Dean:
The subject of this letter is my inability to submit a timely appeal for my grades within twenty one days of the end of term, in April, and in the succeeding months of Summer and Fall. This was due to anticipation and further recovery from a major operation in May while simultaneously suffering from clinical depression.
On May 26, 2014 I underwent hip replacement surgery to correct a longstanding disability and chronic pain. The anticipation and preparation for such a major operation was already strenuous, and exacerbated by insomnia caused by the above-mentioned depression. Following the operation I spent weeks convalescing, barely mobile, on pain-killers and in no state to pursue this appeal. After this recovery period I devoted much of my time to my lengthy rehabilitation which was complicated by the severity of my former disability. Indeed, my rehabilitation ended only recently, in the last of week of October.
As I recovered from my operation, I also found myself having to confront the issues plaguing my mental well-being: my persistent insomnia and depression. It was not until the first week of July that I found myself in a psychiatrist¿¿s office, that of Dr. Paupst, and it was the first time I had been given any kind of medical and psychological understanding of what had befallen my mental state. However, this understanding was limited and marked only the beginning of the process that would eventually deliver me from my depression. From the referral of the same psychiatrist I began therapy with a psychologist, Dr. McLean. Over the months of August, September and October, more and more light was shed on the causes of my depression. It was not until recently that I had a sufficient understanding of all the factors that affected my past school performance to draft an appropriate appeal to your office.
I strongly value my future at Queen¿¿s University, and greatly desire to succeed there. When I return to school in January, as I intend, I very much hope to be given the opportunity to be judged only on my academic performance while in full health of body and mind.
With many thanks,
Austin MacDonald