Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Kennedy Bouchard and I am appealing to drop my marks from HIST 289, which was taken in the Fall of 2016. My student number is 10192952, and my NetID is 15KASB.

I am appealing this course because I had physical limitations that greatly affected my academic performance. I first experienced difficulties in my second semester of my first year here at Queen's, Winter 2016. The symptoms included shortness of breathe, and varying levels of anxiousness. As the semester continued the periods of which I was unable to breathe became longer, and as a result I became more nervous after the event. I was confused as to what was happening to myself so I did my best to work through these symptoms. As a result my academic success was greatly affected. During the months of summer, my family doctor said it was likely that I had asthma and gave me two puffers to help with my breathing. She also booked me an appointment with a breathing specialist, and I was booked to have a breathing test during reading week in February. The reason for booking the test so late was because we believed that the cold air in the winter was a main component in my difficulty with breathing. I went back to school for the Fall semester thinking I was cured and would not be having any more problems until at least the winter months. However this was not the case. Although the puffers were able to help the asthma attacks, I was still feeling uncomfortable and was nervous for days after. Because of my nervousness the attacks also became more frequent, and it soon became a vicious cycle. I soon became very anxious all the time as I was afraid I would have an attack and not be able to stop it. Simple things like leaving the house and walking to class were scary to me because there would not be anyone I knew that would be there to help me if I needed them. It became so frightening for me that it became harder and harder to actually force myself to go to class. The times I managed to go to class I was scared the whole time that I was going to stop breathing. I developed a fear that I would stop breathing in my sleep which led to very many sleepless nights and tired days. The constant anxious feeling also led to stomach pain and headaches. I soon believed that it was not the asthma that was making me feel so sick. I tried new diets to help with my nervousness, thinking maybe it was just a gluten intolerance that was causing this. Towards the middle and end of the semester I did not get out of bed often and I felt really defeated. I felt like my body was giving up on me, and I was not willing to fight it anymore because nothing really seemed to be helping. I went into exams really unconfident in myself and the course content because my fear had led to me missing many classes, as well as made my studying very difficult. After this experience, I had made the decision to take the Winter semester off so that I could focus on my physical health so that I can come back to Queen's both happy and healthy.

I am already working very hard for my future plans at Queen's. My difficulty breathing was the first problem that needed to be addressed. I have officially been diagnosed with asthma, and have included a note from my breathing specialist. I have been put on two puffers that I will take daily to help keep my airways open. This has already made a major difference in my day to day life, and had greatly helped with the nervous feeling that I was experiencing on a daily basis. I also plan on visiting my family doctor to discuss my anxiousness, and will find new ways to help cope with the feeling. I am hoping to return to Queen's in September, but am planning to start off with a smaller course load and will work my way up from there. I am aware that it will take a small time to readjust so I believe the initial smaller course load would be the best idea for me. I really enjoyed the two film courses I took over the past summer and I feel like a major in film would be the best option for me. When I return to Queen's I plan on retaking the Film 110 course and pursuing that option. Now that I am finally figuring out the health problems that I suffered through throughout the last year I have a new excitement for school. I am prepared to come back and prove that I am a hardworking student.

Sincerely,

Kennedy Bouchard