Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to petition for permission to drop POLS 354: Democratic Theory and RELS 356: Christianity and American Politics from the Winter 2025 term, and to request Credit (CR) standing for RELS 328: Apocalypse, all due to significant extenuating circumstances related to my mental health.
During the winter semester, I was struggling with severe depression and anxiety that began in the latter half of the Fall 2024 term and peaked over the winter break. Over that period, I experienced a major depressive episode and a suicide attempt. At the time, I did not seek treatment and believed I could manage to complete the following semester on my own. Unfortunately, my condition continued to worsen, leading to overwhelming fatigue, brain fog, forgetfulness, panic attacks, and emotional paralysis. These symptoms deeply affected my ability to engage with coursework, attend classes, meet deadlines, and communicate with my professors.
The impact was most severe in POLS 354 and RELS 356, where I was ultimately unable to complete the required work. In POLS 354, the final exam triggered extreme anxiety, and I was unable to attend. In RELS 356, the combination of a final paper and presentation became unmanageable as I fell behind earlier in the semester. The pressure to recover academically created a snowball effect, leaving me frozen with fear and unable to reach out for help. In both cases, I had to focus what limited capacity I had on other courses that felt more manageable. My situation was also confounded by the ongoing campus strikes which left classes either cancelled or moved online. This increased my anxiety and emotional paralysis due to the unpredictability and inconsistency as well as not being able to reach out to my professors in person during this time.
I am also requesting Credit Standing for RELS 328: Apocalypse, a class I did complete but where my grade does not reflect my actual ability or effort. I submitted the final assignments while still in crisis and left much of the coursework incomplete due to the same extenuating circumstances that affected my other classes. Although I passed the course, my performance was substantially lower than what I would have reasonably achieved under normal conditions.
I did not drop or seek accommodations for these courses before the deadline because I severely underestimated the impact of my mental health crisis. I thought I could persevere, not realizing how serious and debilitating my condition had become until after the withdrawal deadline had passed.
Since that time, I have taken deliberate and sustained steps toward recovery and stability. During the winter exam period, I returned home to receive professional psychiatric treatment and support from my family. I have since begun regular therapy, adjusted my psychiatric medication, and implemented a safety plan with coping mechanisms for managing future challenges. I have increased my academic accommodations in consultation with my accommodations advisor and maintain regular communication with my psychiatrist and therapist.
Moving forward, I have developed a concrete plan to ensure academic success and wellness. I meet with my psychiatrist monthly (I now have one both at home and here in Kingston), attend therapy weekly, and stay in consistent contact with my accommodations and academic advisors. I have adjusted my course load to include designated days for academic organization and self-care, and I am actively using resources through Queen’s Student Academic Success Services (SASS), including assignment planning and coaching appointments.
This past year has been deeply challenging but also transformative in terms of learning to seek help, establish boundaries, and prioritize my mental health. I am committed to maintaining the progress I have made and to continuing my studies with renewed focus, support, and resilience. Granting this petition would ensure my transcript accurately reflects the uncontrollable circumstances that disrupted my academic performance, while allowing me to move forward from a place of genuine recovery.
Thank you for your time and understanding, and for considering my request to drop POLS 354 and RELS 356, and to receive Credit Standing in RELS 328.

Sincerely,
Emma Gephart