Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Jennifer Stevenson (Associate Dean Studies),

I am writing to appeal the one term deadline as I was experiencing extenuating circumstances that inhibited my ability to submit an appeal before the deadline.

Extreme perfectionism, order and structure took over my ability to function in September 2018. The stress, extreme anxiety, rules, severe self-critical thoughts and lists became intolerable; however I couldn¿¿t stop, I had to do it the right way, my perfect way. I pushed my body to its limits trying to keep up with my need for everything to be right. The stress I put on my body caused a physical response as my stomach would constantly become extremely bloated and painful. It impeded my ability to walk, focus, attend class and collaborate with classmates. The stomach pain led to a catastrophic impact on my energy level. I used to be energetic but in a matter of a month, I had become tired all the time and bedridden some days. I couldn¿¿t control my stomach and I didn¿¿t know what to do. My body would not allow me to follow the strict rules and structure that my mind felt it needed and I didn¿¿t know how to function in my new mind and body. It felt like I couldn¿¿t be good enough for my own mind. I tried to manage my mental and physical symptoms through trips to see doctors, naturopaths, therapists, reading self-help books, using over-the-counter medications, creating endless lists, rules and schedules but nothing helped and I didn¿¿t know what to do next. I was no longer myself because the symptoms had taken over my ability to function at the high level required for academic success at Queens. I had no idea the cause was a mental disorder. My family physician diagnosed me with Obsessive Compulsive Personality disorder (OCPD) in October 2019.

In addition, my physical symptoms worsened due to an obstruction in my large intestine in December 2018 which forced me to defer my exams from the fall semester. Over the December break, I was able to eliminate the obstruction but my physical symptoms of debilitating stomach pain, bloating and gas still remained. I had no idea it was caused by a mental disorder and my anxiety. Since my condition left me unable to effectively learn for the entirety of first semester, I was trying to learn both my first and second semester courses simultaneously. I needed to write examinations for both while dealing with my declining health. This was not possible; it was a disaster. Due to my difficult choice to postpone my December final examinations, I received my grades for both first semester and second semester around the same time between March 2019-May 2019.

After almost a year of debilitating symptoms, I knew I had a serious problem and I needed help from the university. I finally made an appointment with an academic advisor to see if I had any other options and I learned about the appeal process. I found hope by learning that I could appeal the grades in the classes my health hadn¿¿t given me a chance to do well in and I could take time to improve my health before returning back to my studies. I wish I had known that appealing grades was possible before this point because I have missed the deadline to appeal grades for the Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 term. I hope you will consider that I received my grades for the fall semester late, I was not diagnosed and able to start treatment and medication for my disorder until October 2019 so my health symptoms have continued to decline and impeded my ability to function before I was able to learn from an academic advisor (thank you to the advisor, Spring) that this was possible. I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to appeal now.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Amanda Showler