Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to drop English 234 (Fall 2016) without penalty based upon the extenuating circumstances outlined below.

In December 2015 (my first year at Queens) I was admitted to hospital overnight in Kingston after suffering a severe depressive episode. I accessed Student Wellness Services and the Doctor prescribed anti-depressant medication which I continued to take over the course of the 2015/2016 academic year. The medication seemed helpful and I completed my courses with a good standing in each. I registered for 4 courses in the Fall Term (2016) and during orientation week (I was a Gael for 1st year students) I was not adjusting well to my return to campus. After the first month, I was struggling to maintain focus on course work and a positive mental attitude. By late November, I somehow recognized the need to drop English 200 and 215 (full year courses) and would continue with English 234 and Politics 280 given that the drop deadline had passed. I was managing Politics 280 but was well behind in English 234. Staying on track with the course requirements was challenging and I was really in no position to adequately complete the course on a satisfactory basis and it should have been dropped. I reached out to the Professor and let him know about my situation but was still unable to fulfill the adjusted deadline he kindly provided for one assignment. I wrote the final exam in a state of confusion and without a clear understanding that I was going to fail the course while still holding out hope to somehow pass as I had no sense of my standing in the course at that point. I blocked out the reality of the situation while with my family in Victoria over the December break.

When I returned to Queens for the start of the Winter 2017 term, I was ready to make a good start. During the first week, I attended the Queens Model Parliament event in Ottawa and it was there that my mental health began a rapid decline. On my return to Kingston (January 14, 2017), I was manic and my roommates (in consultation with my parents in Victoria) called 911 and I was admitted to hospital. I was not assessed or treated for the manic situation and only examined physically and sent home after 3 hours. My father flew to Kingston the next day and he concluded that I needed to immediately return to Victoria, withdraw from Winter Term classes, and seek medical care. I returned to Victoria the evening of January 16th and was examined by a Psychiatrist at the Royal Jubilee Hospital on January 17th. I was admitted to hospital at that time suffering from psychosis. I received care in the hospital from January 17 to January 27 and was diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder. I am continuing with care (on an out-patient basis) and am being treated with medication that is working well. In discussion with my Doctor, it is likely that there were possible signs of early psychosis in the Fall 2016 Term. My inability to deal with the course requirements (English 234) while at the same time making grandiose plans for graduate school and other academic endeavors is one example.

Subject to the stabilization of my medical treatment and on the advice of my Doctor, I intend to return to full time studies at Queens in September 2017. I also intend to switch my major focus of study from English to Politics as this is where my primary interest lies. I believe I can maintain a consistent approach to all aspects of my academic studies based on the treatment program in place and the support services provided at Queens. I wish to exceed the academic performance I achieved in my first year at Queens as I understand more clearly how the medical issues impacted my life generally and academic performance specifically. Being more self-aware and responsibly managing my own mental health, is a critical component of my plan moving forward and I am committed to doing both.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this appeal. A letter from the Victoria Mental Health Centre is being provided as part of this submission.