Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science,

I am submitting this appeal on the grounds that I was unable to adequately perform this term due to unpredictable extenuating circumstances beyond my control. I am appealing to drop BIOL 303, NSCI 324, and CLST214 after the deadline, credit standing in BIOL330, and receive aegrotat standing or preferably an extension for an incomplete grade in BIOL316, a class which I performed best in.

During the winter holiday, I went to Cuba with my family. Upon arriving, my father experienced a severe hypoglycemic episode and fell extremely ill. He was hospitalized as a result and the vacation quickly turned into a distressful, draining circumstance. I felt extremely traumatized and anxious about his well-being and hardly slept in order to watch over him during the night. After traveling back home, my father¿¿s health continued to decline and I became very reluctant about returning to Queen¿¿s for the winter term.

In early January, my parents wished for me to change my ADHD medication from Vyvance to a type that was covered by the Queen¿¿s ASUS Health Plan. The new medication, Concerta, proved to be detrimental to my normal functioning, however I felt as though I had to give my body a chance to adjust to it. As the weeks progressed, my organizational skills deteriorated, my sleep became disturbed, my appetite became significantly reduced, and I suffered from confusion and poor judgment. As a result, I experienced constant exhaustion, increased levels of anxiety and depression, rarely attended lectures, became anxious about approaching my professors to discuss my situation, and failed to submit assignments on time or complete scheduled midterms.

Though I switched back to my original medication in late February and made great effort to get my affairs back in order, I was not capable of catching up in the majority of my classes. I attempted to submit assignments with multiple deadline extensions and achieved respectable grades, however I severely struggled on midterms and final examinations due to my earlier absenteeism in the term.

As winter term came to an end, I felt myself beginning to stabilize psychologically, physically and emotionally. I attended appointments regularly at La Salle and Hotel Dieu as well as openly communicated with my Professors about my position in their classes. I also took part in a Queen¿¿s field biology summer course following the conclusion of winter term in which I revived my passionate interest for my major and the drive to complete my degree. Furthermore, my father has been feeling much better. In hopes of employing better coping strategies in the years to follow, I have been attending, and will continue to attend, an emotional support and regulation group weekly as well as reconnected with supportive family and friends. Finally, I have confidently made the decision to complete my degree as a General Bachelor within the following year. I require less than a full course load of credits in order to do so. With a reduced course load, I will be significantly less stressed which will allow for the best chance of succeeding in some of courses I have listed above and electives of my choosing. I plan to use the time gained by visiting the Learning Commons, Writing Center and Disability Services to utilize the useful resources we are so fortunate to have available at Queen¿¿s. I used resources such as these during the Fall 2013 term and acquired grades I was finally proud of. I know that I can channel that energy and focus again. I strongly desire to be given the opportunity to complete my degree at Queen¿¿s in a way that I can be proud of and I am asking to be given the chance to do so.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Sarah-Juliet Nadler