Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,

I am appealing to drop ARTH 391 and ARTH 383 from the semester of Fall 2019.

First off, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to explain my circumstances. The University has been more than accommodating and has played an integral role in my recovery; I could not be more grateful.

To be honest, writing this appeal is difficult, however, I believe that it is important for me to be as transparent as I can to fully communicate how my academic abilities were hindered. On the 28th of October 2019, I attempted to take my own life. Thankfully, the overdose did not work and the staff at KGH were able to help me. For me to be released from the hospital, I had to agree to cooperate with the medical professionals at the Student Wellness Center and to attend multiple follow up appointments. In the following days, I saw Dr. Nicholson and crisis counselor Laurie Hooke put a plan in place. Considering I had no more anxiety pills after the overdose and that the incident occurred while I was taking them, it was decided by my doctors that I be taken off the medication immediately.

I had anticipated that the following weeks were going to be taxing mentally however, I was not prepared for the physical effects of withdrawal that I would endure. As time passed and the medication began to leave my system, I became very ill with symptoms of withdrawal that severely impacted my ability to fulfill my academic requirements. I was seeing physicians, counselors, therapists, and a psychiatrist, frequently throughout November and December in an attempt to get my life back together. I was determined to stay at Queen's and continue with my degree in Art History. I wanted so badly to not let my mental health take away the one thing I love, which is my program. I tried my best to maintain a full course load however, between being as physically and mentally ill as I was, I found myself having to make some tough decisions in order for me to finish the term. After consulting with my therapist, we decided that I would no longer participate in the two courses that I was having trouble meeting the requirements for (ARTH 391 and ARTH 383) and rather focus my energy on completing the other three.

In ARTH 391 (Art Forgeries) a large part of the course was based on attendance and in-class participation. As a result of me being ill, I was unable to attend as many classes as I had hoped to and my anxiety was preventing me from being able to participate in class discussions. In ARTH 383 (The City) the course was made up of three 30 assignments with the remaining 10 as attendance and participation. I had attempted to complete the remaining two assignments (both due after the incident) but unfortunately, the pressure of having to complete 60 of my grade for this course under these circumstances was too much for me to handle. I spent the rest of the semester concentrating on the three courses I had the best chance at completing. In the courses I continued to participate in, I was fortunate that the bulk of the work had been concentrated in the first half of the semester and therefore, I felt more capable in my abilities to complete the remaining assignments. I had spoken to an academic advisor the week of December 9th, 2019, to inquire about dropping these courses. Since I had already missed the deadline and had my hands full with the courses I was staying in, I was advised to write this appeal after I had completed my work for that semester and was in better standing.

After the incident, a plan was devised to get my mental health back on track. Since then, I have been routinely seeing crisis counselors, occupational therapists, a psychiatrist, as well as attending weekly appointments with my assigned therapist. Over the break, I spent time with my family and focused on healing. I have come back to Queen's stronger and more supported than I have ever been in my undergrad and anticipate a successful and healthy semester ahead. I am also enrolled in a weekly group therapy session, Managing Powerful Emotions, which I will begin to attend early February. Though it has only been a short amount of time, I already feel that I have learnt to apply various techniques in distress tolerance that will prevent me from ever being in a situation like that again. I am continuing to work through these issues and will progress in my recovery over the next few months with the help of my team at Student Wellness Services.

Looking back, I am proud of both the work I was able to complete and of how far I have come since then. I can tell you in confidence that I gave it my best effort to complete ARTH 391 and ARTH 383 however, as it was nearing the end of the semester, trying to finish these courses no longer made sense.

I ask in good faith that I be permitted to drop these two courses as I know that they do not reflect my academic abilities.

Kindest Regards,
Molly Earnshaw
20074893