Petition Letter
To Dr. Dorit Naaman and Queen’s Administration,
With this letter, I am asking for credit standing (CR) for my courses of BIOL 102, PHIL 151, and FILM 111 due to the extenuating circumstances of ADHD and MDD, exacerbated by a lack of medication access at the beginning of my semester and during my initial relocation to Canada. If this is not granted, I am also asking to be considered for aegrotat (AG) standing in these classes.
Throughout the term, I was balancing both ADHD and major depressive disorder. Both made it difficult to attend classes in a timely manner, while the former made it difficult to pay attention when I did, as well as hampering my ability to study effectively. Furthermore, I was not able to get my medications set up for Canada in time, as I was living in California before attending university. I had decided to commit to Canadian university fairly late, leaving little time to make the necessary arrangements. Furthermore, the bureaucracy was fairly difficult to manage, and I was never able to contact the necessary Queen’s services that would make this process easier. This was amplified by the symptoms of ADHD and MDD, which reduced both my motivation to seek help and the ability to follow up on seeking medication when I was able to find bureaucratic help (in the form of a therapist). This inability to access medication significantly worsened the symptoms of ADHD and depression, impacting my ability to perform a variety of functions I would be able to perform on medications. These include poor attendance and inability to focus in class, missing deadlines, poor exam performance, difficulty initiating tasks (including take-home coursework), fatigue, isolation, inability to focus in testing environments, and inability to look after my basic needs.
I attempted to self-advocate and find a therapist on the Queen’s University campus. I attended my first meeting with Anne Douglas on October 3rd, 2025. Additionally, I consulted academic coach Sarah De La Roche for academic and ADHD support. However, I was only able to set up a solid support system for myself in the middle of the term, leading to missing lectures and learning opportunities, as well as poor and missing coursework near the start of the term. By the time I had my first meeting with a therapist and was able to plan a course of action regarding my ADHD and depression, it was already fairly late in the term. As therapy requires time to be effective, many of my symptoms could not be managed in a timely fashion, and it was difficult to establish a truly effective support system.
Ultimately, due to these factors, I received a poor grade on both my Film and Biology finals, as well as not being able to complete a myriad of assignments in both classes to the best of my abilities. One example is my Lecture #4 quiz for biology, in which I was simultaneously trying to study for my finals (without my prescribed medications) and attempting to work on assignments. Given this, I erroneously concluded that I should skip lab 1B, despite this having a significant impact on my grade. Therefore, I received a poor grade in both the Lecture Quiz and the Lab. This struggle with decision making is a well-documented symptom of ADHD (Chachar & Shaikh, 2024), and was another challenge I had to contend with. This was a similar narrative as my Film class, in which many of my film responses were poor quality. While my Philosophy grade was better than the Film and Biology grades (due to already being fairly familiar with the course material), I could have performed better had I had access to medications and treatment.
Given these extenuating circumstances, I respectfully request the credit standing (CR) of my classes for the Fall term of 2025. This would allow for my academic record to reflect the challenges I faced during the term. Since this time, I have relocated to California and have worked closely with my psychiatrist to develop an academic plan that works with my needs. I am now attending Foothill Community College with a plan to transfer to a University of California, and I am on medications and have an ADHD coach.
Attached to this letter is an official diagnosis from my psychiatrist, Dr. Ramez Ghanbari, at Mindpath Health Clinic in Riverside, California. Additionally, I have a document detailing the medications I take, as well as a letter from my Academic Coach during my time at Queen’s. Contact information is provided for reference below, please contact anyone mentioned to ask for verification of facts presented in this petition.
Dr. Ramez Ghanbari <riverside@mindpath.com>
Sarah De La Roche <s.wearelearning@gmail.com>
Anne Douglas <yp24@queensu.ca>
Thank you for your consideration,
Kai Mirchandani
20489822
July 14th 2026
With this letter, I am asking for credit standing (CR) for my courses of BIOL 102, PHIL 151, and FILM 111 due to the extenuating circumstances of ADHD and MDD, exacerbated by a lack of medication access at the beginning of my semester and during my initial relocation to Canada. If this is not granted, I am also asking to be considered for aegrotat (AG) standing in these classes.
Throughout the term, I was balancing both ADHD and major depressive disorder. Both made it difficult to attend classes in a timely manner, while the former made it difficult to pay attention when I did, as well as hampering my ability to study effectively. Furthermore, I was not able to get my medications set up for Canada in time, as I was living in California before attending university. I had decided to commit to Canadian university fairly late, leaving little time to make the necessary arrangements. Furthermore, the bureaucracy was fairly difficult to manage, and I was never able to contact the necessary Queen’s services that would make this process easier. This was amplified by the symptoms of ADHD and MDD, which reduced both my motivation to seek help and the ability to follow up on seeking medication when I was able to find bureaucratic help (in the form of a therapist). This inability to access medication significantly worsened the symptoms of ADHD and depression, impacting my ability to perform a variety of functions I would be able to perform on medications. These include poor attendance and inability to focus in class, missing deadlines, poor exam performance, difficulty initiating tasks (including take-home coursework), fatigue, isolation, inability to focus in testing environments, and inability to look after my basic needs.
I attempted to self-advocate and find a therapist on the Queen’s University campus. I attended my first meeting with Anne Douglas on October 3rd, 2025. Additionally, I consulted academic coach Sarah De La Roche for academic and ADHD support. However, I was only able to set up a solid support system for myself in the middle of the term, leading to missing lectures and learning opportunities, as well as poor and missing coursework near the start of the term. By the time I had my first meeting with a therapist and was able to plan a course of action regarding my ADHD and depression, it was already fairly late in the term. As therapy requires time to be effective, many of my symptoms could not be managed in a timely fashion, and it was difficult to establish a truly effective support system.
Ultimately, due to these factors, I received a poor grade on both my Film and Biology finals, as well as not being able to complete a myriad of assignments in both classes to the best of my abilities. One example is my Lecture #4 quiz for biology, in which I was simultaneously trying to study for my finals (without my prescribed medications) and attempting to work on assignments. Given this, I erroneously concluded that I should skip lab 1B, despite this having a significant impact on my grade. Therefore, I received a poor grade in both the Lecture Quiz and the Lab. This struggle with decision making is a well-documented symptom of ADHD (Chachar & Shaikh, 2024), and was another challenge I had to contend with. This was a similar narrative as my Film class, in which many of my film responses were poor quality. While my Philosophy grade was better than the Film and Biology grades (due to already being fairly familiar with the course material), I could have performed better had I had access to medications and treatment.
Given these extenuating circumstances, I respectfully request the credit standing (CR) of my classes for the Fall term of 2025. This would allow for my academic record to reflect the challenges I faced during the term. Since this time, I have relocated to California and have worked closely with my psychiatrist to develop an academic plan that works with my needs. I am now attending Foothill Community College with a plan to transfer to a University of California, and I am on medications and have an ADHD coach.
Attached to this letter is an official diagnosis from my psychiatrist, Dr. Ramez Ghanbari, at Mindpath Health Clinic in Riverside, California. Additionally, I have a document detailing the medications I take, as well as a letter from my Academic Coach during my time at Queen’s. Contact information is provided for reference below, please contact anyone mentioned to ask for verification of facts presented in this petition.
Dr. Ramez Ghanbari <riverside@mindpath.com>
Sarah De La Roche <s.wearelearning@gmail.com>
Anne Douglas <yp24@queensu.ca>
Thank you for your consideration,
Kai Mirchandani
20489822
July 14th 2026