Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing for an Aegrotat standing in DEVS 220 and GNDS 212, both were taken in the fall of 2015. Back in January of 2016, due to mental health issues, it was suggested by Queen's counsellor, Whitney Babcock, that I leave campus to return to Mississauga for a semester. I was unable to complete these courses within the time frame of the course and was given an extension to complete their final papers while at home.

While Whitney and I were hopeful that returning home to improve my mental stability would ensure that I could continue my studies at Queen's later in the year, that initial plan no longer reflects the progress of my recovery. Due to a great number of medication changes in December, as well as dealing with a new diagnosis of depression and anxiety, I began suffering severely from suicidal thoughts and self harm. I had hoped that through the use of medication and extensive therapy I would slowly recover to a point where completing these papers before the end of April would be an achievable goal. However, that was not the case. I was unable to find immediate forms of therapy but was put on multiple waiting lists, and it wasn't until the end of July that initial appointments were finally made. As a result of this setback, my depression, anxiety and medication side effects continuously influenced my ability to read, write, perform, and simply communicate with professors and counsellors regarding the declination of my mental health.

In the light of these extenuating circumstances preventing me from healing, recovering and completing these assignments, I contacted my professors with the help of Whitney. We devised a plan that allowed me to complete 60 of both courses. I slowly but surely completed these simple tasks, and it wasn't until recently that all of these complications were settled and graded accordingly to ensure that this appeal could move forward with the support of my professors.

I am still not in a stable place to adequately work on the original assignments needed to fully complete these courses, as they are constantly triggering highly negative outcomes. My reason for not appealing the class earlier lies in the fact that I truly believed that by this point, I would be coping with my depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and self harm in a healthy manner. My original goal to come back to Queen's in September of 2016 was not a successful one, and I am currently continuing extensive therapy while deciding what lies ahead for me academically. I have come to a realization, that in order to not only return to Queen's, but simply begin to live a healthy life, I must reduce any stress factors that may trigger my depression and anxiety until I am certain that I have coping mechanisms in place for these stressful times. My plan for the future begins with feeling better, and eventually working with Whitney to return to a place where I can continue to indulge in the incredibly insightful world of Gender Studies and Indigenous Studies, without the severe impacts of mental health illnesses.

My counsellor from Queen's has agreed to send a supporting letter as well.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Akasha Naraine