Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Monday, March 19, 2018
Dr. Atkinson,
I am appealing to drop ENGL 215 (Fall/Winter, 2017/18). A conclusion has been drawn by my psychologist that I deal with severe anxiety and depression. Beginning in my first year, I was unable to sleep and spent days on end crying. Over the summer I began to see a psychologist and upon returning to Queen¿¿s, she stated that in her professional opinion, a load of six courses each semester would be too heavy because of my inability to cope with stressful situations. Unfortunately, taking that many courses is a requirement for my program, so I was unable to reduce it. After being a frosh leader, I was exhausted but the amount of sleep I felt I needed was me slipping back into my depressive state. I noticed in October and November, I was beginning to have a hard time sleeping again. I tried everything from excessive exercise to any form of sleeping pill and none of it helped. The lack of sleep resulted in a spike in my anxiety and a stress I felt I couldn¿¿t control. My idea was to get through first semester and restart after the winter break. While at home for Christmas, I visited my psychologist multiple times and she informed me that it would be in my best interest to begin medication for depression and anxiety. I opted not to because I wanted to avoid medication if possible and didn¿¿t want to experience the side effects while I was at school, alone. As soon as I got back, my anxiety and homesickness spiked again. Even when I attempted to find a routine and go to bed earlier, my mind was restless, and I was unable to fall asleep. I started seeing a doctor at the Queen¿¿s Student Wellness Centre who completed blood work and found no abnormalities that would affect my sleep or my mood. Since I started seeing her at the beginning of the semester, she has requested that I see her every 3-6 weeks to check in.
I have a particularly hard time with ENGL 215 because the lectures are at 8:30am and 10:00am. Since I am unable to fall asleep until early in the morning due to my depression and anxiety, it is physically painful, almost impossible, to get out of bed. The couples of times I have made it to the lectures, I have either fallen asleep or completely zoned out. It was better at the beginning of the year but through the winter my depressive symptoms got worse. In ENGL 215, I have one more essay due and an exam that is worth 40 of my final grade. The cumulative exam will cover all 10 books and their material which was covered from the beginning of September to the end of April. I do not think I will be able to achieve a passing grade with what is expected. This course contains pop quizzes and spontaneous group work which I have not obtained the marks for because they usually occur during the 8:30am lecture which I am physically unable to attend. I have had three anxiety attacks since the beginning of the semester. The most recent one occurred outside of the door to this class because I arrived late and if I walked in I knew I would be called out, so I started hyperventilating and fled the building. The pop quizzes, unannounced group work, and the Professor¿¿s demeanour heightened my anxiety.
I am attempting to improve my condition through medications, therapeutic exercises, and visiting a registered psychologist. I will be seeing her often throughout the summer break. The peak of my problems occurred at the beginning of this semester, but I have not had an anxiety attack since before reading week, therefore my condition seems to be improving. I have met with the concurrent education academic advisor multiple times and we have made several plans for the various outcomes that could come of my second year. I am taking a summer course that will equal the 6.0 credits lost if my appeal to drop this course is granted. Therefore, I will not be behind upon returning in September. Currently, my house is a very stressful environment, but I am living in a different house with different people next year, so I am hopeful that the move will improve my situation.
At the beginning of the year my grandmother passed away and caused my depressive symptoms to increase. Over the past few weeks I have had several stressors in my life. First, there has been a divorce going on in the family. Also, I had a friend that committed suicide and my other friend is going through a severe cancer situation with her mom and comes to me for help because my mom also had cancer. Lastly, I have been harassed by a parent of the high school rowing team I coach to the point the she is no longer allowed to directly contact myself or my family. All of this has spiked my anxiety and stress which in turn effected my sleep and ability to perform to standard in this class. This full year course contributes to my teachable and failing or getting a low passing grade will bring down my average substantially. It could even remove the possibility of having an English teachable. All my other courses are in the B range and I do not believe that the mark I receive will reflect my abilities, it will only reflect my extenuating circumstances and hardships experienced this year.

Thank you for your consideration,
Joslyn Galloway
20024028