Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

My name is John Fleming and I am a second-year politics major. I am appealing to have my courses from the winter term of the 2018/2019 school year dropped due to extenuating circumstances.
Approximately 1 month ago, my mental state began to deteriorate which heavily affected my ability to adequately perform academically. While I attempted to bury these feelings in order to complete assignments, it reached a point where it began to affect not just my academics, but my physical health and overall wellbeing. This time was very difficult for me due to personal events and a death within the family.
Without going into too much personal detail, I noticed that I began to experience panic attacks and anxiety. As well, I noticed that my motivation became very low. I found it very difficult to get out of bed for simple daily actives such as eating, let alone attending classes and tutorials. After experiencing this for a week or two, my roommates reached out to my family in an attempt to help my situation. After discussing it with my parents, we all agreed that the best course of action would be for me to return home and recuperate. Once being home, I found that my mental health began to improve but after consulting with professionals, a mutual decision was made for me to leave Queen's for the remainder of the semester to properly heal. Once this was decided, I found the time away from school allowed for me to regroup and begin the process of recovery.
Once I returned home, I began to take steps towards figuring out the cause of this situation. I have been in contact with mental health professionals and my family doctor to help solve this. I have been communicating with a local program in Toronto which focuses on youth mental health and can provide their contact information if need be. In terms of my family doctor, this process was somewhat delayed as I was transitioning to a new family practitioner. As well, she was away from her office for some time as she was out of the country. When I finally got the opportunity to meet with her, the process was able to officially move forward as I needed referrals from her. In addition, this delayed receiving the doctor's note which I will provide within this appeal.
I will conclude this appeal by saying that I very much intend on returning to Queen's University in the Fall of 2019. My time studying at Queen's has been an absolute pleasure over the past two years and it was a difficult decision to return home but ultimately proved to be best for my physical and mental health. If there is anything else that you require from me during this appeal process please let me know.

Thanks,
John