Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

My name is Iain Sherriff-Scott and I'm a fifth-year history major. I'm writing today in support of my appeal to retroactively drop HIST 401-003 The Northwest Fur Trade, which I was enrolled in during the winter term of 2019. The grounds for my appeal are health and compassion.

During the 2018-19 academic school year, I suffered from severe depression and anxiety stemming from a personal crisis which occurred in the late summer of 2018. As a result, I experienced depressive symptoms of consistent sadness, sleep disturbance, loss of weight and appetite, loss of concentration and anxiety.

In January, 2019, after my depressive symptoms worsened, I began regular counselling with Whitney A. Babcock, a psychotherapist based in Kingston. In the following four months, I made improvements to my mental health and functionality. However, I continued to suffer from a severe loss of concentration and anxiety. These factors dramatically impacted my ability to meet regular academic requirements and attend weekly seminars.

During the winter 2019 semester, I made a concerted effort with the counsel of my therapist, to complete the course I was enrolled in. However, the symptoms of anxiety and loss of concentration I was experiencing remained a significant barrier to my attendance of the seminar, especially given the course's structure, which was weighted towards participation in discussion.

These persistent symptoms resulted in a significant impairment of my regular academic functions during the winter of 2019, and I was therefore unable to complete the required course material necessary to obtain a passing grade in HIST 401-003.

The intense difficulty I experienced during the 2018-19 academic year is an outlier in my overall Queen's experience. Since my first year, I have been a successful student and deeply engaged in extracurricular activity.

For the upcoming fall 2019 semester, I have enrolled in a manageable course-load, which I intend to complete with the support of my therapist, who I see twice-weekly. I also made significant efforts this summer to improve my mental health. I'm confident that I will complete my degree at the end of the semester ahead, and that the difficulty I experienced last year due to my health will not be a barrier in doing so.


Sincerely,

Iain Sherriff-Scott