Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
I am applying for an appeal to have my courses be credited as a credit/no credit on my transcript and also drop my courses from the winter semester and earlier semesters.
I have been experiencing extreme levels of panic attacks since November 2017. I went to go see the doctor the first week of December where she was working towards diagnosing me. During this time I had trouble keeping up with my coursework in all courses. I had been experiencing stress and even fainted in public during September and October. The stress ended up leading up to an extreme case of panic disorder where I couldn't breathe and was constantly feeling faint, light headed with a rapid heart rate and sometimes high blood pressure. I was unable to leave the house comfortably without exasperating my symptoms. As a result of this I was also unable to concentrate on my courses for Fall and Winter in the 2017/2018 academic year.

For Fall 2017,

FILM 340, I was able to get some accommodation and completed the course with a mark close enough to my capability with a C+

For FILM 335, I was able to get accommodation and the mark should be updated soon.

LIBS 100, I was being accommodated up to a certain point but by the time I was experiencing extreme panic attacks my TA informed me that no more accommodation was allowed. I passed the course and it is a program requirement therefore I am hoping to have the course show up as a credit considering two assignments were not submitted/marked and therefore 20 or more of the grade is not accounted for.

PHYS P20, I was unable to complete any of the course work for this course on time because of my physical symptoms and the TA accommodated me by allowing me to submit my 2 assignments for the course on the day of the exam and if I showed sufficient knowledge of the course content she would pass me. Therefore my pass mark in the course isn't indicative of my actual performance and I was hoping to be able to have this course be labelled as a Credit standing course.

For Winter 2018

FILM 303, I was able to achieve a B in this course because 65 of the course was group work and therefore a lot of the work was distributed and really eased the work load of the course. Majority of the course was also visual and all about watching movies and analyzing them therefore it was easier to complete the assignments quicker than courses that require a lot of reading and essay writing which overwhelms me and slows me down due to my slow reading comprehension, that I have accommodation for through the accessibility services.

DRAM 303,

I am hoping to drop this course entirely from my transcript because I was on my medication and had extreme anxiety and panic attack symptoms along with tremendous amount of drowsiness due to the medication I was taking from January 2018 onwards and therefore was not able to keep up with all my classes especially this one. I did ask for accommodation and did receive it however by the end of the semester it was impossible for me to try to get any of the coursework done.
ARTH 354, I was getting by in this course with a D+ or a C- until the final two assignments were due, I received accommodation up to a few days after the exam and after that the professor could not wait any longer and suggested I appeal to drop this course.

The reason I did not drop any of my courses by the drop deadline was because I was handling it ok up to the deadline because it was still early in the semester and a lot of work was not due as yet. Also I had taken time off from other areas like work and volunteer work to focus on my symptoms therefore I had free time to focus on school as well, it wasn't until March when I started taking medication and I was drowsy and had fallen behind that my classes and assignment deadlines really started piling up that I was really unable to catch up to my work.

For BIOL 350: I was hoping to get an agreotat credit since 20 of the course was accommodated for by changing the weight of the exam from 40 to 60 however I was not in the right state to study for my exam to the best of my ability because I was still trying to get used to my anxiety symptoms and had just started taking medication. I tried to study through the drowsiness and inability to concentrate. As a result I received a D on my exam accounting for over 50 of my grade when it should've only been 40. I was hoping to be graded for what I have handed in at the weighting they originally were to possibly receive a more accurate grade. Or have the chance to complete the assignment I did not complete and submit it.

I also wanted to appeal for more courses from previous semesters as I have had a difficult time getting though courses due to anxiety and my learning disorder. I was able to get through my first 3 courses with Queen's with a C+, C and C- with little to no accommodation however with ENG 100 I was unable to receive accommodation because I did not contact the professor early in the course as per his rules because I felt I could get through the course without accommodation nor did I realize I had accommodation as an interest student. The course was not accommodated for with 25 of the course listed at a 0. I lost 25 and ended the course with a D- and a 73 on the exam. Sometimes my inability to read and process my reading along with organizing my thoughts well enough to write make it difficult to for me to complete assignments and also ends up giving me anxiety especially when I am approaching or past the due date. I was able to do well enough in BIOL 110 and CWRI 295 because I was able to receive accommodation for my coursework. However for ENG 100 I was unable to receive the accommodation. Therefore I was hoping to drop this course off my transcript.

By the summer of 2016 I received full accommodation from the accessibility services for my learning disorder and therefore was able to get through my courses.

Fall of 2016 I was able to get through all of my courses except for ASTR 102 because it had large amounts of heavy reading that I was incredibly slow at. I did receive accommodation however the exam was on a pass/fail basis and since I failed the exam I failed the course despite getting a B- in the course before the exam. I did go for some learning strategies help and I did take their recommendations but I couldn't keep up with everything and in the end found the exam much more difficult than I realized it was.

Winter of 2017 I had trouble in FREN 107 and PHIL 203 because of the heavy amounts of reading. FREN 107 and FRST 209 had the same professor and she gave little to no accommodation. I was able to get through FRST 209 because again it was a more visual course. FREN 107 was a more memory oriented course and I needed more time to memorize and read and was not allotted that time. The same for PHIL 203, it had heavy amounts of reading, I was accommodated for however I was unable to perform well because of it.

I already have slow processing skills and memory issues along with problems with organizing my writing; on top of that I struggle with anxiety - particularly in regards to school. When I am faced with courses that challenge my struggles, my anxiety worsens and makes it difficult to concentrate. This is an issue I have been struggling with since forever and it isn't just with academic courses. I was diagnosed with anxiety in 2013 while I was in a Visual Arts program at Sheridan College. It was a visual and studio art program yet it worsened my anxiety for different reasons. I have been trying to get through Queen's courses with some accommodation due to my learning issues however the time I am allotted doesn't take into account the problems I have dealt with/am dealing with due to my anxiety. I have documentation for my current anxiety diagnosis and my previous anxiety diagnosis through Sheridan which I hope shows that I have been dealing with this without any kind of medication or counselling to guide me through it which made school even more difficult to get through until now.

I hope this helps explains my issues and my reasons for wanting to have ASTR 102, DRAM 303, ARTH 354, ENG 100, PHIL 203, FREN 107 dropped from my transcript and LIBS 100 and PHYS P20 as a CR standing credit on my transcript and BIOL 350 as agreotat.

As for the remainder of my education, I only have 2 courses remaining until I graduate therefore I will have less on my plate. I also took the summer off and am focusing on my symptoms. I have adapted to my medication and my symptoms have diminished and I have learned to control them when they do flare up therefore I feel I can complete the degree successfully.