Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stevenson,

My name is Padma Shania Jagnandan and I am submitting an appeal on two accounts, to waive the 21-day appeal deadline and request aegrotat standing for three courses. I am requesting aegrotat standing for the following three courses ¿¿ BIOL 334, BIOL 321 and BIOL 527. In BIOL 321 I have completed greater than 60 of the course. In BIOL 334 and BIOL 527, I have completed at least 50 but not quite a full 60. I am requesting, to obtain the policy requirements for aegrotat standing, a re-weighting of completed content. My explanation of the circumstances is as follows.

In the summer following my first year (2016) at Queen¿¿s I experienced a large shift in my family situation that caused unrest, financially and emotionally. The result was an unstable home environment, but I did not experience the repercussions of that situation directly. In the years that followed I noticed changes in my mental health that made me struggle with my academics and daily activities of living but I was always able to at least submit something for marks and pass. In the winter semester of my third year (Winter 2018) it became increasingly more difficult for me to handle my responsibilities. I struggled so deeply with my mental health and was too scared to tell anyone because I assumed that would put more strain on an already unravelling and unstable family situation. I persisted as best as I could until I woke up the day of my Biol 334 exam and was absolutely beat. I was faced with the reality that I no longer had the energy to keep existing. I did not finish my exam that semester and instead took the first steps to see my family doctor and discussing how I¿¿d been feeling. We started a treatment plan that summer. I worked very hard throughout Fall 2018 to take care of myself and stay on top of my work and did so with a level of success that I am quite proud of. I moved into Winter 2019 strongly but found that my abilities were slowly faltering again. Approaching the end of the term, I was having a very hard time focusing and doing work. I couldn¿¿t focus while working for extended periods as I was constantly in a state of anxiety. I¿¿d sporadically cry, shake or lose control of my emotions. Circumstances worked out that I only had two final exams and a final essay. I wrote the exams to the best of my ability with what bits of studying I was able to accomplish but struggled heavily to work on my final essay and was unable to complete it. This pattern persisted throughout the summer where I was regularly uneasy and continuously trying to cope with what felt like a new wave of anxiety symptoms. I had been enrolled in a course, Biol 321, with the intention of using it to fill the requirements I missed with Biol 334. Despite working hard on my anxiety in the background, with only one course, I found it easier than before to get my work done. However, my anxiety forced me to face yet another symptom of drastically changing sleep schedules that left me very tired and deprived. Despite completing a majority of the course work, in a state of anxiety and stress was unable to properly track my deadlines and missed the final deadline for a research paper. Despite an explanation of the circumstances and providing my accommodation letter, the professor would not let me submit my paper.

I say all of this to explain how specific pockets of my academics were influenced and to demonstrate that I was constantly trying to do my best while my capabilities were slowly faltering due to my mental health. I have worked really hard to try and balance my mental health with my academics where possible. I started conversations with my family doctor at home and at Student Wellness Services, I started medication and revised doses, I have seen counsellors and crisis counsellors at SWS, tried to learn to meditate, and sought out support at the Peer Support Centre. I have truly been trying but struggling with mental illness is in itself self-stigmatizing and deprecating. I find myself writing this letter after doing what I, at the time, thought were the best steps to secure my mental health and academics, but consistently struggling to maintain my health. I am submitting this appeal in acknowledgment of the fact that my intense experiences with my mental health have resulted in me not being able to engage with my academics in the same way I do when I feel mentally well. I am asking for aegrotat standing in recognition of the work I have submitted and the effort I have put in, despite the challenges, to perform to the best of my ability.

Looking to the future, I want to continue with counselling and work towards regularly scheduled appointments to help me manage my mental well-being on an ongoing basis as opposed to periodically. I¿¿ve also been trying to practice open communication with my professors about how my mental health is impacting my ability to meet deadlines. Last semester, I found that this worked really well for me as I was able to have constructive conversations with professors to create specialized due dates based on my accommodations and mental health situation. I also took a lighter course load which allows me more time to spend on taking care of myself and regulating my health.

I am currently working on obtaining documentation from two individuals. The first is from a counsellor at Student Wellness Services, Laura Anderson. The second is from my off-campus family practitioner, Dr. Kelly Forse. Once I have obtained these pieces, I¿¿ll submit them in a timely manner. If there are any other forms of documentation you require please let me know and I¿¿ll happily arrange to provide them.

Thank you for reading my letter and taking the time to process my application. I anxiously await your response and hope we can open a positive discussion about my situation.

Kind regards,

Shania Jagnandan
10197627