Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Dong Chan (Chris) Song, and I am currently in my sixth year at Queen's University. I am writing this letter to appeal to drop two courses: PHIL 271 and ENGL 259.

In my first year at Queen's University, I suffered from chronic back pain. When I visited a walk-in clinic to receive a proper diagnosis of my pain, the doctor sent me to Kingston MRI Imaging Clinic, where my University Health Insurance Plan did not cover. Discouraged that I was not able to pay a thousand dollars for the MRI, and not knowing that the UHIP does cover MRI taken from Kingston General Hospital, I left the back pain unattended, until four years later when another doctor informed me that I could indeed have an MRI scan. As a result of the unattended back pain, which later was diagnosed as spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and central disc herniation, I attended the first four years of my undergraduate studies physically, mentally, and academically impaired.

On September of 2013, right after the academic year started, my close friend passed away from a car accident. I was unable to attend lectures for weeks, control my emotions, and maintain my mind and my body. The grief from his passing damaged me more than the physical pain. Regardless of the efforts that my family and friends made to piece me back together, I was unable to recover from such trauma, and consequently, I slumped into depression. Weeks following his accident, I was finally able to maintain myself just enough to continue my education.

Following this incident, on April of 2014, I was inflicted with spontaneous pneumothorax. As a result, I was admitted to KGH, and the attending thoracic surgeon advised that I take the rest of the academic year off. Whether it was from this collapsed lung that left a scar on my pleura or from the unattended stress and depression, I started to suffer from chronic chest pain that continued to hinder my breathing.

It was only after my lung collapsed that I attempted to seek any kind of help. After consulting with my Winter term professors and with an academic advisor, I decided to appeal to receive aegrotat standing on the courses, except for PHIL 271. I was not able to receive aegrotat standing because the course did not have a final exam but a final paper, and without the final paper, I would not have completed 60 of the course to be eligible for aegrotat standing. My PHIL 271 Professor accommodated my needs and extended the deadline of the final paper. Consequently, I made an honest attempt to finish the paper in time. However, because of my ongoing chronic chest pain that hindered my breathing, and because of the bulging lumbar disc that not only hurt but also interfered with my ability to sit and focus, I had been severely medicated all throughout the summer. Moreover, I was still struggling with depression from my friend's passing; as a result, this mental illness had affected me more than both my chest and back pain. I thought of contacting my Professor again, but I thought it was too late and that I had lost my chance of redemption for this course.

In the Fall of 2014, the untreated depression, the stress from my crippling physical illnesses, and the heavy burden and pressure from school and work had reached a limit in my life and I was not able to continue on with anything in my life. However, because of my ongoing hopes to be able to attend law school, I decided to take a medical leave, instead of folding my dreams and returning back to Korea. After carefully consulting with my academic advisor and my professors, I had dropped all my courses for that academic year. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to return to school shortly after, because my lawyer advised me that my study permit requires me to be a full-time student at all times. As a result, I had to appeal to add courses after deadlines and be forced back into school before I had sufficient time to recover. Under these circumstances, I put in my utmost efforts to catch up with the week of course that I had missed, and to finish the courses with my ongoing mental and physical disabilities. However, my efforts alone were not sufficient enough to support me through the academic term, and I ended up failing ENGL 259.

Throughout the first four years of my undergraduate years at Queen's, I was hesitant to seek help not because I did not want help, but because I lacked the right resources to receive help. However, once I started prioritizing my physical and mental health, reallocating my finances towards physiotherapy and psychotherapy, and receiving sufficient financial and moral support from family and friends, I started to recover, both bodily and academically. Now, although my back and chest still impair me, I am completely in control; although I still feel the pressure and stress from my academic life, I do not fall into depression or let stress overwhelm my life. These first four years at Queen's have undoubtedly been a challenging and painful experience, but an experience that I definitely needed. These experiences have surely strengthened both my body and mind in a way that will hopefully prepare me for greater challenges that I have yet to face. I truly hope that you understand the degree to which I had suffered both mentally and physically, that I have learned to be in control of my pain, and that dropping these courses will further support my pursuit for continuing my education in law, and accomplishing my passion for the law. Thank you so much for your consideration and your understanding.

Best regards,

Dong Chan (Chris) Song
Student ID: 10020503