Petition Letter
Petition to Associate Dean (Academic)
March 25, 2026
Re: Mei Thomas Mann, Student # 20265261
Petition to Drop POLS 367
Introduction
I am writing to petition to drop POLS 367 from the Fall 2025 term without academic penalty.
I have been studying Political Science at Queens since September 2021. I am registered in QSAS and have several accommodations related to my disability. I began the fall 2025/26 term enrolled in the final three courses I needed to complete my BA (DEVS 260, POLS 367 and HIST 295). Due to an unforeseen medical emergency I experienced in the fall, I was unable to complete these three courses and have had a plan in place with QSAS and my professors to complete them during the winter term.
Background about my unforeseen medical emergency
From October 25th until November 12th I experienced a medication error that caused a serious health emergency. The error was only discovered on November 12th when I had to seek medical help due to the severity of side effects and symptoms that had been escalating since October 25th.
On November 13th I moved back home to Toronto so I would have the support of my parents with medical appointments, ongoing symptoms and my overall recovery. I was unable to attend class or complete any course work from November 12th to December 31st which is documented in two notes from my doctor which are attached to this petition. I am also attaching a petition I submitted on March 6th related to DEVS 260, which outlines more details of my condition. I resumed my courses on January 2nd of this year remotely from my parents home in Toronto as I continue to recover from my illness and to struggle with ongoing symptoms.
Current Status of POLS 367
I currently have an IN from the fall 2025 term with a plan with Professor Haglund to complete the course in the winter term. I have been unable to complete the coursework during this term for the following reasons:
1. Ongoing symptoms and recovery which has reduced my capacity to complete coursework and resulted in me having to complete each of my three remaining courses one at a time. I am required to take frequent breaks from course work and I become extremely fatigued. I am unable to focus for long periods of time and my thinking is not clear. In short, I am experiencing ADHD burnout and all aspects of my life have been impacted. In addition, I continue to experience side effects from my ADHD medication which further impair my abilities.
2. Difficulty putting in place learning accommodations for the course, most notably lecture transcription for which I use Glean. Since there was no way to use Glean with pre-recorded lectures, I initially attempted to complete the course without transcription services and struggled through January and much of February. With my slower processing speed (documented with QSAS), this became an insurmountable task. The effort involved exacerbated my symptoms and caused a great deal of anxiety. I met with my QSAS Advisor on February 18th and with their support I was able to use the Microsoft Word Transcription function; however, upload limits were hit after only a few lectures. My parents then helped me source an external transcription service called Whisper. It took until February 28th to get this all in place and begin to fully transcribe all POLS 367 lectures. It was at that point not possible for me to complete the course in the one month period available to me.
Why I am requesting to drop POLS 367 rather than to seek an extension of my current IN
1. This course is very difficult for me to complete outside of the regular term and from a remote location with my existing disability. The lectures are the primary source of content and learning and I continue to face challenges having more limited modes of taking in the information i.e. lecture transcription and power point slides only. I have found that listening to the audio and working with the transcription service is extremely difficult, especially with my reduced functioning and capacity. It is not comparable to being in Professor Haglund’s classes, there are limited course readings and additional materials, and I am finding the strain of trying to manage the course work along with my existing disability and my illness very overwhelming.
2. There are no options for me to address the barriers in completing this course remotely and outside of the regular term. Due to my ongoing recovery, I need to complete the last remaining courses of my degree from Toronto while I continue to sort out ongoing medication challenges and symptom management with my doctors.
Why I did not petition to drop POLS 367 earlier
1. Due to the severity of my illness and all of the symptoms and medical appointments I was managing, I was unable to complete the required steps to meet the December 2nd drop date.
2. In December, in consultation with my QSAS Advisor and Professor Haglund it appeared that a realistic plan for me to complete the course in the winter term was in place. As a result, I did not petition to drop the course at that time.
3. I had a strong desire to try to complete POLS 367. I appreciated Professor Haglund’s support and I truly wished to complete this course, as well as HIST 295 and DEVS 260, in the winter term as my hopeful goal was to graduate this spring.
4. From January to March, I worked hard to make the course viable, putting in place different strategies. It is only after attempting these efforts that I’ve come to realize doing this lecture-based course outside of the regular term and remotely from Toronto is not realistic.
Conclusion
Given all of the factors outlined above, I hope you will consider my request favourably and permit me to drop POLS 367 without academic penalty.
I wish to thank Professor Haglund and Toni Thornton my QSAS Advisor for their support and flexibility during this very difficult time. I truly appreciate all the support that has been offered to me. It has meant a lot given this was not how I envisioned my final year at Queens.
Thank you for your consideration of this petition.
Sincerely,
Mei Thomas
March 25, 2026
Re: Mei Thomas Mann, Student # 20265261
Petition to Drop POLS 367
Introduction
I am writing to petition to drop POLS 367 from the Fall 2025 term without academic penalty.
I have been studying Political Science at Queens since September 2021. I am registered in QSAS and have several accommodations related to my disability. I began the fall 2025/26 term enrolled in the final three courses I needed to complete my BA (DEVS 260, POLS 367 and HIST 295). Due to an unforeseen medical emergency I experienced in the fall, I was unable to complete these three courses and have had a plan in place with QSAS and my professors to complete them during the winter term.
Background about my unforeseen medical emergency
From October 25th until November 12th I experienced a medication error that caused a serious health emergency. The error was only discovered on November 12th when I had to seek medical help due to the severity of side effects and symptoms that had been escalating since October 25th.
On November 13th I moved back home to Toronto so I would have the support of my parents with medical appointments, ongoing symptoms and my overall recovery. I was unable to attend class or complete any course work from November 12th to December 31st which is documented in two notes from my doctor which are attached to this petition. I am also attaching a petition I submitted on March 6th related to DEVS 260, which outlines more details of my condition. I resumed my courses on January 2nd of this year remotely from my parents home in Toronto as I continue to recover from my illness and to struggle with ongoing symptoms.
Current Status of POLS 367
I currently have an IN from the fall 2025 term with a plan with Professor Haglund to complete the course in the winter term. I have been unable to complete the coursework during this term for the following reasons:
1. Ongoing symptoms and recovery which has reduced my capacity to complete coursework and resulted in me having to complete each of my three remaining courses one at a time. I am required to take frequent breaks from course work and I become extremely fatigued. I am unable to focus for long periods of time and my thinking is not clear. In short, I am experiencing ADHD burnout and all aspects of my life have been impacted. In addition, I continue to experience side effects from my ADHD medication which further impair my abilities.
2. Difficulty putting in place learning accommodations for the course, most notably lecture transcription for which I use Glean. Since there was no way to use Glean with pre-recorded lectures, I initially attempted to complete the course without transcription services and struggled through January and much of February. With my slower processing speed (documented with QSAS), this became an insurmountable task. The effort involved exacerbated my symptoms and caused a great deal of anxiety. I met with my QSAS Advisor on February 18th and with their support I was able to use the Microsoft Word Transcription function; however, upload limits were hit after only a few lectures. My parents then helped me source an external transcription service called Whisper. It took until February 28th to get this all in place and begin to fully transcribe all POLS 367 lectures. It was at that point not possible for me to complete the course in the one month period available to me.
Why I am requesting to drop POLS 367 rather than to seek an extension of my current IN
1. This course is very difficult for me to complete outside of the regular term and from a remote location with my existing disability. The lectures are the primary source of content and learning and I continue to face challenges having more limited modes of taking in the information i.e. lecture transcription and power point slides only. I have found that listening to the audio and working with the transcription service is extremely difficult, especially with my reduced functioning and capacity. It is not comparable to being in Professor Haglund’s classes, there are limited course readings and additional materials, and I am finding the strain of trying to manage the course work along with my existing disability and my illness very overwhelming.
2. There are no options for me to address the barriers in completing this course remotely and outside of the regular term. Due to my ongoing recovery, I need to complete the last remaining courses of my degree from Toronto while I continue to sort out ongoing medication challenges and symptom management with my doctors.
Why I did not petition to drop POLS 367 earlier
1. Due to the severity of my illness and all of the symptoms and medical appointments I was managing, I was unable to complete the required steps to meet the December 2nd drop date.
2. In December, in consultation with my QSAS Advisor and Professor Haglund it appeared that a realistic plan for me to complete the course in the winter term was in place. As a result, I did not petition to drop the course at that time.
3. I had a strong desire to try to complete POLS 367. I appreciated Professor Haglund’s support and I truly wished to complete this course, as well as HIST 295 and DEVS 260, in the winter term as my hopeful goal was to graduate this spring.
4. From January to March, I worked hard to make the course viable, putting in place different strategies. It is only after attempting these efforts that I’ve come to realize doing this lecture-based course outside of the regular term and remotely from Toronto is not realistic.
Conclusion
Given all of the factors outlined above, I hope you will consider my request favourably and permit me to drop POLS 367 without academic penalty.
I wish to thank Professor Haglund and Toni Thornton my QSAS Advisor for their support and flexibility during this very difficult time. I truly appreciate all the support that has been offered to me. It has meant a lot given this was not how I envisioned my final year at Queens.
Thank you for your consideration of this petition.
Sincerely,
Mei Thomas