Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am writing to petition my requirement to withdraw and be permitted to enroll in courses this fall. I have persevered through multiple challenges since October 2020 when the sudden loss of my grandmother triggered a deep depression, despite the challenges, I am committed to my education.

Over the past four years, I’ve struggled to find out why I couldn’t seem to fulfill academic requirements that seemed to come easily to others. I also knew I was capable based on my high school academic performance and acceptance to Queen’s Kinesiology program. It has taken until this past semester to finally put the pieces back together, and I appreciate how you’ve acknowledged this with the reduction of a possible three-year suspension to one. Since January 2021 I have been seeking help. There were some connections made with student wellness services and psychiatric support, but the medical intervention was limited, inconsistent, and at one point, completely inaccessible. It was a trip to the ER in January 2023 that reconnected me with the professional expertise I needed. I withdrew from classes that semester to focus on my health and I spent last year working through CBT and group therapy to manage the symptoms of my diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). I was fully prepared to return to school in the fall of 2023, but was still struggling and was further diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD).

During the fall term I was doing trials with different medications to help treat my ADHD. The first medication I was taking caused severe anxiety which impacted my ability to complete schoolwork from the beginning of the semester. Another medication I tried during this semester caused adverse side effects which resulted in me being physically ill for a three-week period, this also significantly impacted my ability to dedicate time needed to my studies. I met with my psychiatrist to get taken off the medication as soon as I could, but by the time we had found a medication that was helping I had already fallen far behind in the semester.

I decided to take five courses each semester as an attempt to get “back on track”. In spite of feeling so defeated as I watched the people I started school with graduating, I did not want to give up. Unfortunately, ambition could not overcome my medical condition. I couldn’t mentally manage the coursework involved with the circumstances of my well-being.

In the winter term I was experiencing extenuating circumstances related to my BPD and stressors in my life; from late January to March I was struggling to meet some basic needs and was unable to manage the demands of the five courses I was taking. Falling so far behind resulted in me prioritizing some courses over others in an attempt to pass any of them. My ADHD and especially my BPD affect my memory. I had multiple dissociative episodes throughout both the fall and winter semesters where I still struggle to remember anything. These episodes typically lasted a few hours to days and occurred regularly. This made being able to remember what I learned in class or memorize and recall information for tests in my courses increasingly difficult. I struggled the most with my anatomy courses in both semesters because of the memorization required to succeed. KNPE 255 also only had midterms and an exam as assignments. The setbacks with my working memory also impacted my ability to remember deadlines. During this time, I continued to meet with my therapist every two weeks and maintained my scheduled psychiatric appointments. I never miss them. I joined a student wellness group called “Down to Focus” which gave me skills I was able to use to pass three of the five winter courses and I have also joined the Managing Powerful Emotions group through student wellness services, as well as seeing a dietician to get help eating properly. I continue to work with my therapist on developing healthier coping strategies to replace my tendency to dissociate, and the episodes have been far less regular.

While there have been times I struggled to find hope and really felt it didn’t matter, I have come to know I want this. It has been much harder to stay in school than it would have been to just walk away and give up. The medications are working, and I have built myself a support system for when I’m struggling. I also plan to work with an occupational therapist through the school to help maintain the balance between my mental health and academics. I am passionate about what I want to do with my education, and I don’t believe the courses I failed this past year are truly reflective of my ability when I am stable. I hope you consider allowing me to drop the courses past the deadline and in turn waive my requirement to withdraw for one year.

I also acknowledge that a full course load is unsustainable, but being able to continue with three courses in the Fall would keep me moving forward toward my goals.

Sincerely,
Kallan Raycroft