Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies,

I am appealing to drop MATH 210 and PHYS 239 (Winter, 2014) after the academic deadline, and to request Credit Standing in MATH 281, PHYS 212 and PHYS 250 (Winter, 2014).
Two weeks ago my family doctor diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder, related to the stress I have been experiencing due to my school work and my gender identity. This anxiety started in mid-october 2013, and has involved panic attacks and periods of heightened anxiety. My panic attacks began at the same time as my fall semester mid-terms, and have continued throughout the winter semester. Before each mid-term and final exam (and at times while I was traveling to them) I would experience panic attacks. The panic attacks before my exams were triggered by the stress I experienced when worrying about the amount of material I needed to cover while studying. As a result of these panic attacks, I was unable to study effectively, which triggered more panic attacks immediately before each mid-term. As a result, I was in a state of heightened stress and anxiety during each mid-term, while being ill-prepared from being unable to study properly. As a result of these anxiety issues, my academic performance was much lower than expected.
In addition, I experienced anxiety related to stress from my gender identity. I have struggled with my gender for the past 4 years, and this struggle has contributed to several mental health issues. In the Winter semester of 2013, I made the decision to call myself Lucas while at Queen¿¿s. I came out to my friends and classmates, and received their full support. I have also discussed my preferred name and pronouns with several of my professors, including Alastair McLean and James Fraser. For the most part, this decision has brought positive change in my life. I no longer feel that I am lying to myself, and to the people in my life. However, my decision has raised some issues. For example, while studying in a group setting, I was introduced to a classmate that I had never met before. After hearing my name, he began to ask me questions about my identity, specifically if I planned to go through surgery and Hormone Replacement Therapy. I stated that I was not comfortable talking about my plans with someone I had just met. However, the questions triggered anxieties I have about my transition. I am a competitive athlete, and any surgery and/or hormone therapy I could choose to undergo would disqualify me from future competition. This is something that I try not to stress about, but is often brought up by such questions. The stress and anxiety I experience from such issues contributes to triggering my panic attacks, especially around exams.
Until recently, I did not realize that my anxiety was anything other than an issue that I had to handle on my own. I have always had issues communicating with others about things I struggle with, and no one in my life was aware of the extent of the anxiety I was experiencing. It was only by talking to my parents about my poor academic performance, explaining why it had happened, and speaking to my doctor about it that I realized that my anxiety was not just and issue, but a disorder that required treatment.
I have recently had an appointment with my family doctor, and have started treatment for my anxiety. Currently, my treatment plan involves anxiety medication and therapy. In therapy, I hope to obtain healthier coping mechanisms for my anxiety and find a way of dealing with the stress from my gender identity. This may involve taking a lighter course load when I return to Queen¿¿s. I am currently taking STAT 263 as a distance course, and I hope that my performance in the course can act as an indicator of the success of my treatment. Now that I have acknowledged my disorder, I plan on doing everything in my power to manage it, and to continue my academic career.
In the past few weeks, I have contacted my professors for MATH 281, PHYS 212 and PHYS 250. I have informed each of the them of my decision to submit an appeal, and have requested they send a statement to the suggested address. I hope that their support and my marks in my regular coursework assignments demonstrate my commitment towards the completion of these courses.
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Sincerely,

Emma Scholbeck