Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing an Academic Appeal to drop the Fall 2014 Term Courses ENGL 277 and GNDS 212. This is due to chronic health issues, both physically and mentally. Since my first year at Queen¿¿s I have always experienced extreme fatigue and health issues during the fall/winter months of the school year, which included continuous bouts of Bronchitis and contracting Shingles.
During the school Winter 2014 Term I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Depression, which would explain my chronic symptoms of fatigue and low energy, where I was sleeping about 12-15hrs a day, despite a regular sleep schedule. A doctor also confirmed that I had low levels of iron and Vitamin D that would coincide with the SAD diagnosis, a biological factor that explained why I always experienced extreme fatigue during the Fall/Winter school term. As a result I was unable to attend most of my classes, complete assignments, and write exams due to my inability to manage school with the limited hours I was conscious.

Since the diagnosis, I have sought counselling and dedicated my summer to improve my health so that I would be able to attend the 2014 Fall Term without any issues. However, the symptoms proved to be unmanageable and I once again experienced the same symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, and low immune system (where I once again had Bronchitis). Consequently, this left me unable to attend classes and hand in assignments. I do not wish to a have a repeat of my previous academic failures, so I have done the following:
¿¿ Registered with Disability Services.
¿¿ Sought counselling in biweekly sessions with Queen¿¿s HCDS
¿¿ Visited Dr. Molson (Queen¿¿s HCDS) for assessment for a psychiatry referral; a list of psychologists was given to me in the end.
¿¿ I had Contacted my professors to discuss alternate options for academic assessment, assignment deadlines, and exam dates (if applicable).
I was also seeking a psychologist during the school term in order to better cope with my situation and focus on my academics. As such as I was seeking to provide appropriate documentation, manage my depression, while seeking mental health resources and financial funding for psychotherapy sessions, I was unable to submit the appeal within the 21 day deadline.

It is my belief that if I were able to drop ENGL 277 and GNDS212, I would be able to focus on managing my health so that I can perform better academically, rather than strain my health in order to prevent an academic backlash from failing these courses. Hopefully, I will be able to manage a GPA that will allow me to apply for Teacher¿¿s College or the Consecutive Education Program provided by Queen¿¿s university after my undergrad.


Sincerely,


Megan Young
Student : 10024193