Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 10667
Submitted: June 12, 2023 at 9:53:19 PM
First Name: Beatriz
Last Name: Moreira Brodt
Pronoun: she/her
Student Number: 20204770
Email: 19bmb5@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BS
Plan: MATH
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Appeal Category Detail: Request to drop failed courses of the year 2022-2023
Level 1 Status
Status: DeniedLevel 2
Appeal Type: Level 2
ID: 205
Submitted: July 11, 2023 at 7:55:11 PM
Relevant Petition: 10667
Decision(s) Being Appealed: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Other petition: Request to drop failed courses of the year 2022-2023
Other petition: Request to drop failed courses of the year 2022-2023
Appeal Grounds
Appeals to the Board of Studies must include a letter based on one or more of the Grounds for Appeal (Appeal Regulation 3.4). What are the grounds you are basing your appeal on?
- The Associate Dean's decision did not follow the rules of procedural fairness. A breach of procedural fairness includes such things as the Associate Dean failed to:
- Remain unbiased when reviewing your petition.
- Follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported your right to a fair process.
Appeal Grounds Details: I am appealing the Academic Dean’s decision on my petition to withdraw from Queen’s University for a period of one year, and to drop my failed courses of Fall 2022 and Winter 2023.
In the start of the decision letter, the Dean points out that petitions are only granted when there are significant extenuating circumstances that is beyond a student’s control.
• I interpreted the initial statement that the academic dean has a bias towards mental health and that she does not believe that mental health should be considered as an extenuating circumstance that is beyond my control.
• I have been battling with my mental illness, which unfortunately I have no control over. Since I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety last year, I have been following all the recommended approaches given by my health care professionals. Mental health is indeed an extenuating circumstance, it not only affects my mood and how I feel, but also my energy, mental and physical capacity, and every aspect of my life.
In addition, the Dean states that my extenuating circumstance is being managed in a way that will not allow me to succeed.
• I am following all the recommendations that my health care professional, therapist, and now accommodations advisor have given me. Unfortunately, mental health disorders are broadly unknown, and every treatment is a learning process to see if it will work for me. Sadly, there is no specific medication nor treatment that guarantees improvement/cure of my mental health.
• I cannot make the ultimate decision of quitting my job to give me more studying time, as I cannot afford to live without the income that it brings; during the Fall 2022 semester I did not work, and while it allowed me more time to study, the financial stress brought by it is not worth it.
• Having a balanced academic, work, and personal life is extremely recommended for a heathier lifestyle and mental health. Therefore, due to my mental health disorders, I cannot always promote such a thing. My disorders fill my head and makes me fill guilty for not working more or for not studying more, every time I have a rest period, my anxiety fills me with guilt and sometimes it will make me so overwhelmed that when it is time to study, I’m too overwhelmed to get anything done.
• I was finally given accommodations in the month of May 2023. With the accommodations recommended by my advisor, we both believe that it will drastically easy my anxiety and help me achieve academic success.
The Dean also says that my strategies were similar to last’s year strategy, and as it didn’t work last year, she doesn’t believe that it will work this year.
• There is nothing else that my close friends, advisor, therapist, and I can come up for new strategies.
• I did the best that I could, and unfortunately it was not enough. Therefore, with the new medication, support system and accommodations I truly believe that I can turn this around and succeed.
The Dean finishes the decision letter recommending me to choose my courses carefully, reflect on my program choice, seek out advice from academic advising, explore Academic Wellness Services and Student Academic Success services.
• I wanted to graduate in Biotechnology, but I have decided to shift my plan to majoring in biology (and not an honours program).
• I stated on my petition that I asked for help and was not helped in a way that was beneficial for me. I was only told to retake failed courses, and to think about a new study strategy.
• I did state that I have been in consultation with Student Wellness fir the past few months, even using a statement from my main healthcare profession stating that I have attended all appointments and had followed all recommendations to improve my health.
• I did state that I would continue to explore Student Academic Services, to help me improve my academic life.
In the start of the decision letter, the Dean points out that petitions are only granted when there are significant extenuating circumstances that is beyond a student’s control.
• I interpreted the initial statement that the academic dean has a bias towards mental health and that she does not believe that mental health should be considered as an extenuating circumstance that is beyond my control.
• I have been battling with my mental illness, which unfortunately I have no control over. Since I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety last year, I have been following all the recommended approaches given by my health care professionals. Mental health is indeed an extenuating circumstance, it not only affects my mood and how I feel, but also my energy, mental and physical capacity, and every aspect of my life.
In addition, the Dean states that my extenuating circumstance is being managed in a way that will not allow me to succeed.
• I am following all the recommendations that my health care professional, therapist, and now accommodations advisor have given me. Unfortunately, mental health disorders are broadly unknown, and every treatment is a learning process to see if it will work for me. Sadly, there is no specific medication nor treatment that guarantees improvement/cure of my mental health.
• I cannot make the ultimate decision of quitting my job to give me more studying time, as I cannot afford to live without the income that it brings; during the Fall 2022 semester I did not work, and while it allowed me more time to study, the financial stress brought by it is not worth it.
• Having a balanced academic, work, and personal life is extremely recommended for a heathier lifestyle and mental health. Therefore, due to my mental health disorders, I cannot always promote such a thing. My disorders fill my head and makes me fill guilty for not working more or for not studying more, every time I have a rest period, my anxiety fills me with guilt and sometimes it will make me so overwhelmed that when it is time to study, I’m too overwhelmed to get anything done.
• I was finally given accommodations in the month of May 2023. With the accommodations recommended by my advisor, we both believe that it will drastically easy my anxiety and help me achieve academic success.
The Dean also says that my strategies were similar to last’s year strategy, and as it didn’t work last year, she doesn’t believe that it will work this year.
• There is nothing else that my close friends, advisor, therapist, and I can come up for new strategies.
• I did the best that I could, and unfortunately it was not enough. Therefore, with the new medication, support system and accommodations I truly believe that I can turn this around and succeed.
The Dean finishes the decision letter recommending me to choose my courses carefully, reflect on my program choice, seek out advice from academic advising, explore Academic Wellness Services and Student Academic Success services.
• I wanted to graduate in Biotechnology, but I have decided to shift my plan to majoring in biology (and not an honours program).
• I stated on my petition that I asked for help and was not helped in a way that was beneficial for me. I was only told to retake failed courses, and to think about a new study strategy.
• I did state that I have been in consultation with Student Wellness fir the past few months, even using a statement from my main healthcare profession stating that I have attended all appointments and had followed all recommendations to improve my health.
• I did state that I would continue to explore Student Academic Services, to help me improve my academic life.
Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
After carefully reading and reflecting on your petition decision letter, I feel that my petition did not remain unbiased, and that the university’s rules and regulations were not followed in a way that supported my right to a fair process. Thus, I am appealing the decision of denying my petition that I must withdraw from Queen’s University for a minimum of one year and appealing to drop my failed courses from Fall 2022 and Winter 2023.
My battle with mental illness has drastically impacted my life. Before receiving treatment, I was lacking joy, energy, and had no will to keep myself alive. I felt as I was trapped in a dark room, screaming for help, and trying to escape; only to realize that I was in a room with no exit and no one to hear my cries for help. It took a lot of strength and time to reach out to a therapist and ask for psychological support. Each session I would try to open myself and trust my therapist with every memory, pain, trauma, and feelings so they could be analyzed and dealt with. After a few months of work, I received a hypothetical diagnosis and a referral to a psychiatrist, who then diagnosed me. I started taking medication to ease my mental illness five months after my first therapy appointment. Ever since, I have been following all the recommendations given from the professionals I had consulted with, so I could persist and become the best student that I can be. Unfortunately, there is no right path when it comes to mental illness. I had to change the dosage of medications, add another medication, increase therapy sessions, go to multiple counsellors, attempt to receive accommodations multiple times – which I was only granted at the end of my third year, after receiving two requests to withdraw from Queen’s University. Each professional that I have consulted with, has given me their best judgment as to what is the best approach, and sadly they are not always the correct one for me. However, I currently have a great support team that is constantly analyzing each strategy that I am using, and seeing if they are the best approach for me. I have changed my majoring plan, reconsidered the classes that I had planned to enroll, researched better ways to study and maintain a good balance between school, work, and leisure. I sincerely and confidently believe that I can turn my academic situation around and succeed, I just need another chance. With the help of my support team, my recently given accommodations and supposedly the drop of my failed courses I will succeed academically.
After carefully reading and reflecting on your petition decision letter, I feel that my petition did not remain unbiased, and that the university’s rules and regulations were not followed in a way that supported my right to a fair process. Thus, I am appealing the decision of denying my petition that I must withdraw from Queen’s University for a minimum of one year and appealing to drop my failed courses from Fall 2022 and Winter 2023.
My battle with mental illness has drastically impacted my life. Before receiving treatment, I was lacking joy, energy, and had no will to keep myself alive. I felt as I was trapped in a dark room, screaming for help, and trying to escape; only to realize that I was in a room with no exit and no one to hear my cries for help. It took a lot of strength and time to reach out to a therapist and ask for psychological support. Each session I would try to open myself and trust my therapist with every memory, pain, trauma, and feelings so they could be analyzed and dealt with. After a few months of work, I received a hypothetical diagnosis and a referral to a psychiatrist, who then diagnosed me. I started taking medication to ease my mental illness five months after my first therapy appointment. Ever since, I have been following all the recommendations given from the professionals I had consulted with, so I could persist and become the best student that I can be. Unfortunately, there is no right path when it comes to mental illness. I had to change the dosage of medications, add another medication, increase therapy sessions, go to multiple counsellors, attempt to receive accommodations multiple times – which I was only granted at the end of my third year, after receiving two requests to withdraw from Queen’s University. Each professional that I have consulted with, has given me their best judgment as to what is the best approach, and sadly they are not always the correct one for me. However, I currently have a great support team that is constantly analyzing each strategy that I am using, and seeing if they are the best approach for me. I have changed my majoring plan, reconsidered the classes that I had planned to enroll, researched better ways to study and maintain a good balance between school, work, and leisure. I sincerely and confidently believe that I can turn my academic situation around and succeed, I just need another chance. With the help of my support team, my recently given accommodations and supposedly the drop of my failed courses I will succeed academically.
Documentation
Document: Psychological Report-1.pdf
I plan to submit additional documentation at a later date: I am planning on submitting a documentation from my accomodations advisor. I was only able to have an appointment with her on Thursday, July 13th; I will send the other documentation as soon as I receive it.
Decision Letters
Level 2 Amendment
Appeal Type: Level 2 Amendment
ID: 215
Submitted: August 1, 2023 at 3:07:32 PM
Relevant Petition: 10667
Appeal Grounds
Appeals to the Board of Studies must include a letter based on one or more of the Grounds for Appeal (Appeal Regulation 3.4). What are the grounds you are basing your appeal on?
- The Associate Dean's decision did not follow the rules of procedural fairness. A breach of procedural fairness includes such things as the Associate Dean failed to:
- Remain unbiased when reviewing your petition.
- Follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported your right to a fair process.
Documentation
Document: B.M.B.pdf