Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Bénard,
I am appealing to drop MUSC 104 (Fall, 2018) after the academic deadline, preferably without academic penalty. I have come to make this decision based on multiple acute mental health illnesses that have negatively impacted the quality of my work as a Queen¿¿s student during the fall semester of 2018. I was first affected by mental illness during the summer of 2018. I noticed negative changes in my mood, motivation, and appetite. I also began showing symptoms of hypersomnia. I worked at a summer camp, and even with food prepared for me at every meal, I still struggled to get out of bed and show up to meals, including lunch and dinner. I did not think much of it, as I was always on my feet and entertaining kids, so it made sense to me to be constantly tired. I felt moody, and had very little motivation. I began my second year of studies at Queen¿¿s during the fall of 2018 with an optimistic approach, thinking nothing of the symptoms I felt during my time at summer camp. I began with a strong work ethic, and my grades reflected this initially. This was not out of the ordinary, my transcript from my first year at Queen¿¿s is indicative of my hard work. Shortly into my 2018 fall studies however, my motivation felt lost, and I was constantly exhausted physically and mentally. I felt antisocial, incredibly moody, and I began eating a single meal per day while sleeping for the remainder of my time. Doing any school work, no matter how easy, felt impossible. I struggled to get out of bed for class, and focusing on a subject was very hard due to a mixture of anxiety and fatigue. I was sometimes able to get work done in courses that required weekly quizzes, and smaller bursts of studying, but a course such as MUSC 104 was extremely hard for me. It requires that I am present for a three hour lecture on Tuesday nights, and extensive studying and practice of the material. While I was able to get 97 on the first test, I was not able to study consistently and failed each test following in late September, October, and early November. I did my best to show up for class and pay attention, but I felt lost and had trouble concentrating in lecture. This continued on and only became increasingly severe as weeks passed. School, socializing, and eating all became more and more difficult. Around November 10th, I had my first anxiety attack and suicidal thoughts. I understand I need not go into details, so I will refrain from doing so. There is history of mental illness in my family, so this was the point where I understood that I may be experiencing something medically related. Anxiety continued to build, and this was something I had never experienced before. Roughly around November 15th, I decided that it is in my best interest to talk to an academic advisor regarding my grades, options, and quite simply, guidance, as I am also no longer fully confident that Philosophy is the path that I would like to take for my studies. This was when I was informed that I had missed the deadline to drop my classes. I made a trip home on Wednesday, November 21st, and talked to my doctor to obtain medical documentation. I have provided a form with my diagnosis and symptoms. Through discussion with an academic advisor (Heather), I have decided that dropping my full year courses, as well as the courses I am taking next semester are in my best interest. With a lower course load (3 courses), I am confident I can obtain the credits in two of my half-year courses, but MUSC 104 is too difficult for me at this point, and I will fail the class. I would like to drop the course after the deadline because I am fully confident that I will fail, and I have tried my best to succeed. If I had known what I was dealing with earlier in the semester, I would have dropped the class before the deadline.
My academic plan for the future is to take winter 2018 to be at home with my loved ones. I believe that it is in my best interest to take a break from my studies, and deal with my newfound mental health issues first and foremost. In the future, I will resume my studies at Queen¿¿s, or another institution. I love Queen¿¿s despite my struggles, so I plan on meeting regularly with my doctor, and developing ways to deal with my issues in the future so I will pass classes should I retake them. I appreciate the time you have taken to read this, I hope you will understand my situation.
Best regards,
Aidan Fallon (Student 20073089)