Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am submitting this academic appeal in regards to my currently incomplete grades in my PHIL510 and PHIL511 courses. I would like to ask for an extension of the deadlines for the cumulative papers in those classes on the basis of psychological illness. In late February 2016, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder by a psychiatrist with the Student Wellness Centre (Dr. Whitney Smith). My disorder is characterized by scattered, circular, and invasive thoughts, inability to focus, lack of energy, apathy, periods of panic and emotional distress, high sensitivity to noise, both insomnia and excessive sleep, physical aches, social withdrawal, and for several days, the inability to leave my room. The result was an absolutely abysmal academic performance for the 2015/2016 academic year. I struggled to attend class, complete assignments, and to concentrate on tasks for any extended period of time. I developed a severe avoidance disorder and had trouble acknowledging emails, responsibilities, and deadlines. I was prescribed 10mg of Cipralex, which itself takes approximately six weeks to manifest at full capacity. At the end of the six weeks, I was evaluated to have only shown negligible to mild improvements and my dosage was increased to 15mg. As my symptoms continued into the summer (resulting in incomplete work and a skipped midterm for my MATH121 Distance course, which was subsequently dropped) I continued to take my prescribed medication and seek psychological treatment at the Oakville Centre for Cognitive Therapy with Dr. Robert Ferguson (for a total of 8-10 sessions).

While I am still not quite at full capacity, I have made vast improvements over the duration of the summer and would ask the Faculty of Arts and Science to extend my deadline on the papers I owe Professor Mozersky. I am an excellent student (having received an A in my previous course, PHIL250 with Professor Mozersky) with a stellar resume and a high degree of extracurricular involvement at Queen¿¿s. This past semester was not at all indicative of my ability as a student and I would love the opportunity to put the effort into these papers that Professor Mozersky deserves after the hours he dedicated to working with me over the Winter semester.