Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am appealing to drop RELS 322 (Fall, 2017). I am a student with a psychological disability which has impacted my performance in university. I have been seeing a psychiatrist through Queen's University who has acknowledged my anxiety, and have attained accommodations in Summer 2017 through documentation provided by him. Though it is complex and difficult to explain, I will attempt to outline how my anxiety directly affects my academic performance, namely how it led to my failure of RELS 322.

My anxiety disorder causes me to inadvertently become extraordinarily worried, which leads to physical illness and influences depressive patterns in my life. In the case of RELS 322, I started the term well until I realized that I had overburdened myself with a full course load, on top of experiencing some personal life changes which triggered and made my anxiety disorder more difficult to manage. I attempted to do everything I could to ignore my disability and proceed as normal, but if I do not feel anxious, I still spontaneously experience nausea and vomiting. This occurred throughout October and November 2017 as I was attempting to make it to classes, causing me to be very late most days and ultimately miss many of those classes. I never developed a clear grasp of the course material because of this, and lost out on attendance marks in both lectures and tutorials. Upon attempting to meet with my professor for extra help, I felt ill again and had to cancel. Once the vomiting begins I become worried that it will happen again when I leave my home, leading me to feel humiliated and guilty for not being able to keep up with my responsibilities. This has caused me to feel extremely frustrated, which manifested into a depressed state.

I have, and am continuing to try various remedies, natural and medicinal, and have seen doctors for examinations, ultrasounds and a gastroscopy to ensure that there is nothing else causing the sporadic nausea and vomiting besides my psychological disability. I am currently reaching out for even more assistance than I was previously so that I may attempt to finally successfully manage my anxiety, and in turn the physical symptoms which are perpetuated by it. I am now seeing a family doctor, psychiatrist, accommodations advisor, academic advisor and learning strategist, as well as staying with family more often to support me through the rest of my university career and ensure that I may succeed despite the setbacks which are beyond my control. Additionally, I have decided with my academic advisor to cut my course load down to no more than three courses for the Winter 2018 term, as well as incorporating more online courses to alleviate the pressure to get to class for the material when I may not always be well enough to moving forward as I complete my degree.

Thank you,

Kassandra Mishos
10187620