Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom it may concern;

Re: Kayla Forbes Course Appeal

REQUEST
I am requesting to appeal ANAT 101, SOCY 472, ENSC 305, and KNPE 367.

EXPLANATION
In the weeks leading up to and after reading week I accompanied a former Queen¿¿s Student Samantha Zurin to KGH because she was experiencing signs and symptoms of a mental breakdown and schizophrenia.
Samantha was under 72-hour observation and later admitted to the general adult psych ward, where she was granted leaving and outside privileges. She later discharged herself against medical advice.
During this time it became apparent that Samantha¿¿s parents, siblings, or any other family member was not going to be present, concerned, or involved with her wellbeing. This led me to become her primary care giver and subsequently treated as her next of kin by the hospital staff.
When she was not in the hospital, it was a necessity to watch over and care for her constantly, as she was a danger to herself and to others. She almost burned down our house by leaving burners on, and created an unsafe environment by inappropriately taking prescription and illegal drugs, drinking alcohol, cough syrup, and ethanol; all in addition to smoking cigarettes. This cycle continued as she went back and forth from KGH throughout the remainder of the year.
At this time, Samantha was not my only concern as I myself deal with mental health struggles of my own; which are documented through my past meetings with Queen¿¿s advisors and counselors. Due to the extremity of the situation, I was unable to regularly attend classes or remain caught up with my assignments. I tried diligently to compensate for this by completing my readings, beginning preliminary work for my assignments, as well as attend my final exams.
However, due to the level of stress I was under and the demands of my extenuating circumstance, I also caught a bad ear infection, which was later diagnosed by doctors as shingles.
Over the course of this time, I proactively contacted my local counselor (Katherine Murphy), consulted with a family practitioner (Dr. Laura McConnell), and later with Disabilities and the Arts and Science Academic Advising. My counselor and the family practitioner provided advice with how to go about solving an unsafe situation and creating an ethically correct solution for Sammy. Disabilities and academic advising helped me to create a plan to rectify my academic standing and finish completing my degree.

FUTURE PLAN
After completing my credit and tuition appeals, I have a list of credits/classes I need to enroll into in order to meet the credit requirements to graduate. I plan on remaining in contact with my therapist (Katherine Murphy), continuing my relationship with my doctor (Dr. Borins) at LaSalle, and establishing a stronger relationship with Disabilities (Janette Parsons) and my professors to ensure I remain caught up with course material. I also plan to contact learning strategies at Stauffer library to gain some studying and work advice, as well as assistance with essays when necessary.
If I find these support systems are not enough throughout the year, I have the option of contacting Marlo Guinnis at Queen¿¿s Mental Health Services who has a handful of community contacts in Kingston to provide additional assistance.
However, as my academic record shows I am very capable of thriving in an academic environment and feel confident that with a suitable living environment and using the excellent guidance the Queen¿¿s administration has provided for me, I will be able to successfully continue my studies and complete my degree.
I understand that professionals can only do so much, and that the responsibility for getting myself on track is my own. Accordingly, I have spent this summer researching and practicing different stress relieving and mindfulness exercises that I know are beneficial for handling the stresses of academia and everyday life.
These exercises like meditation, regular exercise, and breathing techniques have greatly assisted me this summer when experiencing difficult circumstances or symptoms throughout this time.
Furthermore, there are useful mobile applications and websites that will keep track of my mental health, productivity levels, physical wellbeing, and time management skills. These tools will help me adjust better to my anxiety and stress, which enable me to thrive in my environment, get back to creating quality work, and take advantage of the fantastic opportunities presented at Queen¿¿s.


Thank you for taking the time to help me complete my degree and future academic goals.

Sincerest Regards,


Kayla Forbes
0632 5522
(613) 583 5886
9kif@queenus.ca