Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Dallyn Spear-Balka. My Queen¿¿s student number is 10156467. I am a first year student at Queen¿¿s and I am asking to appeal my winter term grades because of my mental health problems which really affected me through my first year away from home at Queen¿¿s.

I have experienced mental health problems since I was very young. I have been treated by doctors and attended counselling almost my whole life.

The psychiatrist I see is Dr. Manassis, who is a very well-known adolescent psychiatrist from Pickering Ontario. I also have been seeing Dr. John Perrin regularly for years. Dr. Perrin is a clinical psychologist in Bowmanville Ontario. Both of my doctors are near my home in Oshawa.

I have attached a medical report from Dr. Manassis from 2014, to give you some background about my obsessive compulsive disorder, which has some delusions that go along with it. I have also provided an updated letter from Dr. Manassis that she wrote after she saw me when I came home from school this year. Dr. Manassis continues to monitor my symptoms and prescribe me medication, and Dr. Perrin has helped me with therapy and by discussing ways to deal with my obsessions and anxiety problems. I have also attached a letter from Dr. Perrin that talks about my mental health issues and the problems that I had at school this year.

While I was in high school I did well at school. I wanted to get into Queen¿¿s where my brothers and parents went. The marks required were quite high and I was accepted into the Phys Ed program at Queen¿¿s starting in September 2015.

My marks I received in the Fall 2015 first term were pretty good. I managed to pass all my classes and received a B, B+ and a C. I was having difficulties, however, with the social parts of school. I found it very difficult to participate in classes, especially tutorials and labs. Residence and social life were quite overwhelming.

When I went back to school for the Winter 2016 second term I found life to be more difficult. I was having trouble talking to people and meeting people. I was becoming obsessed that people were talking about me when I went to class. My psychiatrist and psychologist were not nearby so I did not have the ability to see them regularly. I had thoughts that someone was messing with me, and interfering in my life, which has been a part of my diagnosis for a long time. I was extremely self-conscious and didn¿¿t feel I could go to class.

I started to believe that my medication was not helping and making me worse. I made a bad decision to stop taking my medication. I felt that without my medication I might be able to talk to people better and be more comfortable around people and more comfortable going to class. I continued to believe that someone was intentionally causing me problems. I stopped going to class in the middle of January.

I started to stay in my room more and more. I felt that people would talk about me if I tried to go back to class. I stopped taking my medications for the rest of the winter term and didn¿¿t go to class or write tests or complete all my assignments or labs. I kept thinking that I would feel better soon. I didn't tell my parents. I made it sound to them like everything was going well when it really wasn't. I told them I was taking my medication. I didn't feel like I could tell him what was really happening. I pretended to them that I was going to class.

After classes ended in March, I came home and finally told my parents what was happening. My parents got me to go back on my medication. I went to see Dr. Perrin right away and told him, with my parents present, what had happened to me during second term. I also went back to see Dr. Manassis.

I then tried to do what I could to pass my courses. Some instructors let me write tests that I had missed and the final exams. I was able to write the Classics 103 final exam and Professor Barbara Reeves arranged for me to attend Queen¿¿s on May 5th to write a Classics 103 midterm test that I hadn¿¿t written. I ended up with a C- in that class. I also wrote the History 122 final exam and got a 71 on the exam, however, I didn¿¿t complete the essays that were due in the second term and didn¿¿t attend the seminars, so I ended up with an F in the course.

I contacted the professors in Psych 100 and KNPE 125 (physiology) and was told that I had missed too many classes to pass, that nothing could be done and I shouldn¿¿t write the final exam, so I got an F in both classes.

I passed KNPE 167 (sports psychology), but my mark was a D+ because I got a zero in tutorial participation because I did not attend the tutorials.

My second term was a very difficult time. But I have a plan to avoid ever getting into that same problem again. Right now, I am working full-time for the summer and doing well. I have been taking my medication and things are looking a lot better now.

In September, I will have a psychiatrist close to me in Kingston to help me and to monitor my medication with regular blood tests. Dr. Manassis has recommended this and I completely accept that this is important. This will make sure my medications are at the proper levels and that I am taking them.

My plan academically is that I will take the next four years to complete my degree. That way I can make up for the courses that I could not complete and also make my caseload a little bit lighter each year so I can deal with my OCD better. My mom and dad tell me that they support this. My mom has discussed this plan with Melody Monte from the Phys Ed program, who told her that this plan makes sense and can help me get back on track. Melody Monte also recommended that I contact Jeanette Parsons at Ability Services and Linda Williams at the psychology department to help me with learning strategies and I will do so this summer.

I plan to register with the Accessibility Service of the special-needs office who can help me next year. I have also contacted the Queen's academic success office. I have talked to them about the services they have for me. I will keep up with that all year to make sure I don't get behind like I did in my second term.

I am asking on this appeal that my Psychology (PSYC 100), Physiology (KNPE 125) and History (HIST 122) courses be dropped retroactively. I would like the chance to take them again and have them removed from my transcript.

With respect to KNPE 167 (Sociology of sport) I am asking for a CR designation for a credit standing so that the D+ does not show on my transcript.

I know that I can do better and I will. Thank you for considering this.

Dallyn Spear-Balka.