Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Mrs. Blake:

I am appealing to Queen¿¿s University in order to receive Aergrotat standing in HIST 240, a course I took this academic year that I was unable to complete due to extenuating circumstances. My name is Kate Farrell, my student number is 10132944, and I left school in the winter term of 2017 for medical reasons. I feel that I put in a sufficient amount of work needed to meet the minimum requirement of 60 of total course work completed for the course in order to receive this standing. As well, with support from my Professor, I strongly believe that I should be eligible to receive this standing due to my work ethic and the circumstances that made me withdraw from the course in the winter term of 2017.

For the past 4 years I have suffered from a severe eating disorder, OCD and anorexia. Before coming to Queen¿¿s I attended an intensive inpatient program from November 2014-February 2015 for my anorexia, and in the summer between my first year at Queen¿¿s and second year at Queen¿¿s I was ina day hospital program at Toronto General Hospital (summer 2016). During the Fall 2016 and Winter 2017 term at Queen¿¿s I attended an outpatient program at Hotel Dieu Hospital, attending weekly therapy groups for my condition. Throughout this entire process, I was always fully committed to my studies, receiving excellent grades and putting forward my best effort. However, due to physical and mental concerns about my health from my doctors at Hotel Dieu, treatment team from over the summer at Toronto General Hospital, and my parents at home: I let Queen¿¿s University on February 2nd, 2017 to go home to Toronto and seek inpatient treatment (for which I am on the waiting list for currently). Given that I feel I have completed a significant amount of work for each course I am appealing, as well as the fact that I left due to necessary medical reasons, I feel I deserve to be granted Aegrotat status for those full-year courses in order to continue my studies at Queen¿¿s effectively and efficiently.

As outlined above, I am currently seeking more intensive treatment (inpatient, so dropping out of school was necessary to receive it), and am set to return to Queen¿¿s for the fall semester of 2017. Leaving Queen¿¿s mid-semester is a necessary step in my academic career due to the fact that my mental and physical health were rapidly deteriorating and that was putting me in danger. However, I dropped out before it got so awful that I wasn¿¿t able to complete my academic work due to my illness, I was still able to participate in classes and put in great work. After treatment, I am determined to complete my degree in Philosophy and will set up the necessary treatment in Kingston in order to keep me on track (to ensure that I am at my best self). I am confident that this was the correct step for my academic future, and in order to keep my program plan on track, I feel Aegrotat standing would allow me to complete my studies in a manner that best suits my learning needs. I was able to complete a large quantity of the work with enthusiasm, and I also have communicated with my professors about my decision to leave, all are willing to work with me to make it work out that I can receive the credits I deserve for the work I have completed. Attached, there is a copy of a letter from my doctor outlining my need to leave Queen¿¿s. I hope to hear from you soon and urge you to contact me at 13kf18@queensu.ca for any other inquires you may have.

Sincerely,

KateFarrell