Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I am petitioning to late drop PHIL 233 and to receive credit standing for PHIL 256, PHIL 275, and POLS 285 (Winter, 2023).
Soon after beginning my undergraduate degree at Queen’s in September 2021, I begun to notice that the medication I had been taking for a condition I had been diagnosed with in high school were no longer working and I found it increasingly difficult to function. Around October, I went to the Student Wellness Services and spoke to a healthcare provided who referred me to a specialist. Once 2022 rolled around, I stayed with my parents for the first two months of the year since classes were no longer in person because of covid. Once I arrived back to Kingston in March, I visited a walk-in clinic to get another referral as I had not heard back from the initial specialist. By the time I had heard back from the second specialist I was referred to was around December 2022. After the initial consultation, I had been instructed to try certain medications and treatment to rule out any other conditions. After the follow-up a few months later, I diagnosed with two other conditions in addition to the one I already had and then had to figure out what treatment plan would work best for me. I was put on and off numerous medications with drastic side effects and withdrawal. There had been very few times where two weeks would go by, and I was not either increasing and decreasing dosages or going on and off medications. There were some that made me almost unable to stay awake throughout the day and other made me so anxious I was hyperventilating during an exam and was unable to finish it. I was unable to attend class regularly and struggled to complete coursework during the trials of medications as well as before I was able to receive treatment.
The reason these specific courses were impacted were because of the timeline and form of learning. PHIL 233 was primarily focused on in-class discussion with which I heavily struggled with. I ended up being unable to fulfill the academic requirements for this class. For POLS 285, I ended up having a severe panic attack in the exam room due to a new medication and was escorted out of the exam room by a proctor. Before leaving the exam, I informed the proctor that I would be unable to take the makeup exam and he reassured me that something would be figured out. My therapist reached out to the academic considerations’ office with a response from Sam Lall. We were then given a response from Melissa Grant, the academic considerations manager, who did not respond to the email. The reason the other two classes were impacted were because of the situation of that term and I found the course content hard to follow due to the trials of different medications. The remaining class I was able to complete spanned over two terms and I did much better in the first term so it evened out.
Since the end of the 2023 winter term, my condition has drastically improved. In May I had began seeing an occupational therapist who has helped me manage my symptoms. In the summer, I was finally put on a medication that has been effectively helping my condition. I was able to arrange accommodations with the help of my occupational therapist. These have drastically helped my academic performance and in the fall of 2023, I had received the highest grades of my degree. I was able to attend class regularly and successfully complete the workload. The reason I had not submitted this petition sooner is because I was unsure if I would be able to improve since I was not confident my academic capabilities prior to my treatment. After haven taken four courses and receiving three grades in the A range and one in the B range, I am much more confident in my abilities.
Going forward, I plan to continue seeing my occupational therapist to manage my symptoms and adjust the plan for my academic success in future studies as needed. I will also continue to see my physician on a regular basis in the case that my treatment plan requires further adaptation.