Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am appealing to request credit standing in KNPE 153 (F 2017), BIOL 102 (F 2017), KNPE 125 (W 2017), GEOL 106 (W 2017) and PSYC 100 (F/W 2017).
On November 4th 2017 I had a medical surgery that affected both my physical and mental health. As a result, I was not able participate in my classes to the best of my ability. I found it very difficult to attend classes. In the classes I did try to attend I felt very overwhelmed in the public space. I would get emotional, and need to leave the room. In some cases, I was sick to my stomach. After multiple attempts to go to classes, I stopped attending. My sleep schedule would fluctuate significantly. I would have some weeks where I would not be able to get out of bed for multiple days, and other times where I would not be able to sleep at all. I often had little appetite. The resulting fatigue that I experienced made it difficult to engage in course work outside of classes. I isolated myself from friends and family during this time, and the state of my mental health made it difficult for me to get the help that I needed. My grades up until this point in the Fall 2017 term were very strong (As and Bs on quizzes, assignments and lab reports).
During the Fall 2017 exam period, following the procedure, I recognized the impact of this procedure on my overall health and wellbeing. My mental health continued to decline with time as I processed the surgery. In being in Kingston, I was 3 hours away from my family and other social supports, and thus felt very alone.
Furthermore, my grandfather passed away roughly two months following the surgery. This made the recovery from this procedure increasingly more difficult. Consequently, in the Winter 2018 term I was unable to attend classes, complete course work at home, and participate in my other daily activities (regular meals, going out with friends, exercise, etc.). To help you to understand the impact, I am typically a very active person, exercising almost every day, and during this time I was not able to bring myself to want to engage in exercise. My sense of self-worth was significantly impacted.
Initially, leading up to the procedure, I did not expect the emotional response that would come post-surgery. It was not until after I had returned to Kingston from the clinic that I realized my body¿¿s physical response to the things that I was feeling. This circumstance was something that I felt I could manage on my own, I did not feel I would need counselling. I also found it very difficult to come in and see a counsellor because coming in and talking about the surgery made me have to re-live the traumatic experience. I was not ready to confront how I was feeling. This is why it was so difficult for me to reach out for support throughout the 2017/2018 academic year.
You will notice in my transcript I received a higher grade in 3 other courses, the reason behind this is that those particular courses had more online or take home components that I was able to work on in my own time at home. Although my circumstances prohibited me from completing all courses to the best of my abilities, I was able to participate slightly more so given the nature of how the course was designed.
In order to be successful moving forward, I started this year by coming into Student Wellness Services for support. I am meeting with a counsellor biweekly, and have been working with her to develop strategies to improve my mental health. I have also been meeting with Dr. Peter Bettle and had an appointment with Dr. Anne Duffy on October 16th for a mental health assessment and to discuss options for treatment. I have also worked with Tess Grant (Occupational Therapist) to put together a short-term academic accommodation plan. If my symptoms continue, I will explore registering with Accessibility Services for Winter 2019.
I have discussed a reduced course load with my healthcare providers, however with the help I am currently receiving I am hoping to stay in a full course load. Although, I am aware that the drop deadline is November 2nd and plan to check in again with my healthcare providers prior to this deadline and will reduce my course load if my health demands it.