Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing the Faculty¿¿s decision that I must withdraw from Queen¿¿s for a minimum of one year. Over the past academic year I have been struggling with severe depression, a mental illness I have never had before and because of that didn¿¿t know how it would affect me. It began in November and hit it¿¿s hardest after Christmas, although I knew I had resources available to help me, it was difficult for me to seek them because I thought I could get a handle on it on my own, however it got to the such a bad state that I tried to commit suicide, because I thought it would make it all better. However, I realized that the only way that would truly make it better was if I got the help I needed, which I am getting now. Due to the fact that I waited so long to seek help, and that the depression made it almost impossible to get out of bed every day, it prevented me from actually being able to go to classes, participate, focus and be the student that I know I can be at Queen¿¿s. If I am forced to take this year off I do not believe it would do me any good, as it would separate me from the support group that I have built up over the past four months, seeing as I would no longer be living in Kingston if I wasn¿¿t going to school, it would also separate me from my peer group, as I would be two years older than the majority of my class mates, something that my views already do in tutorials. If I was able to return this fall, I would still have the material fresh in my mind, making it easier for me to jump into classes and class discussion, I will have the knowledge and support groups to keep me from falling back into depression, I will also know that joining clubs and groups although they take up time is a good way to meet people and make friends, something I avoided this year, for the most part, because I didn¿¿t think I would have time with my classes. I will also be continuing my ongoing consultations with the mental health nurse on campus to ensure that I stay on top of my mental illness and don¿¿t fall back into the whole, as I have learned that it is extremely hard to get out of it. Thank you for your time, and I hope that you will allow me to come back this fall and repeat first year so that I can prove to myself and the faculty that I was meant to be at Queen¿¿s University.

Thank you,

Maria Jankovic