Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Atkinson,
I am requesting that the Faculty of Arts and Science authorize aegrotat status for my mark in PHIL 493, and that my grade be adjusted accordingly.
This letter is an amendment to my last appeal (appeal number 4550), which was approved in June of this year. As that appeal indicates, I had suspected that my emotional well-being would be an open question with regards to completing the paper, which is why I asked for the option to convert the grade in PHIL 493 to an aegrotat grade. The initial extenuating circumstances that prevented me from completing the course in its original timeframe, and the documentation that corroborated them (which I will include with this letter), are described in that appeal, but I will summarize them here:
At the beginning of the Winter 2014 semester, I began to exhibit the symptoms of both a major depressive disorder and chronic anxiety. While I was able to work out informal arrangements with my instructors to complete that semester¿¿s coursework, I misapprehended the nature of what would be a serious and prolonged medical condition instead of a temporary period of emotional difficulty. Since the onset of this condition in January 2014, I had been beset with a variety of symptoms, including a lack of motivation for either professional initiatives or academic work, diminished energy, chronic fatigue, erratic and unhealthy sleeping and nutrition habits, persistent low mood, recurring periods of acute anxiety leading to anxiety attacks, suicidal ideation, and acute social withdrawal. This had led to a severe reduction in my ability to concentrate, read or write academically, think critically, or use any of the array of higher-level brain functions critical to academic success. In effect, I developed a form of academic post-traumatic stress disorder, to the point where activities as simple as picking up books, or encountering any mention of school or careers online was enough to cause a downward emotional spiral.
While I am still seeking treatment for these conditions, since I returned home I have made major progress in recovering my reading capabilities, my ability and desire to write and my sleeping and eating health, and have now found part-time employment. In addition, I have consistently maintained my medication schedule for over a year, taking antidepressants that I am now reducing in intake and will hopefully be cutting out completely over the next few months.
However, the residual emotional connections to PHIL 493 have made working on the paper as difficult as it was before I left Kingston, even after the approval of my appeal in June. Up until the beginning of September I had hoped that the approval of the appeal would alleviate the bulk of my remaining anxieties when it came to my relationship with my degree and the university administration, but I have come to realize that the baggage - both emotional in terms of racing thoughts and flashbacks, and logistical in terms of nearly 4 years of scattered drafts and notes - associated with this course is to severe for me to complete it; and has convinced me that a clean break with all academic activities with which I was engaged in April 2016 represents the best path forward for personal recovery and future academic success.
As I have also previously indicated, I still have copies of all of my coursework in addition to the course syllabus, and would be more than happy to provide them to yourselves and Professor Smith should they be needed to calculate the aegrotat estimated mark.
Thank you for consideration in this matter,
Ben
I am requesting that the Faculty of Arts and Science authorize aegrotat status for my mark in PHIL 493, and that my grade be adjusted accordingly.
This letter is an amendment to my last appeal (appeal number 4550), which was approved in June of this year. As that appeal indicates, I had suspected that my emotional well-being would be an open question with regards to completing the paper, which is why I asked for the option to convert the grade in PHIL 493 to an aegrotat grade. The initial extenuating circumstances that prevented me from completing the course in its original timeframe, and the documentation that corroborated them (which I will include with this letter), are described in that appeal, but I will summarize them here:
At the beginning of the Winter 2014 semester, I began to exhibit the symptoms of both a major depressive disorder and chronic anxiety. While I was able to work out informal arrangements with my instructors to complete that semester¿¿s coursework, I misapprehended the nature of what would be a serious and prolonged medical condition instead of a temporary period of emotional difficulty. Since the onset of this condition in January 2014, I had been beset with a variety of symptoms, including a lack of motivation for either professional initiatives or academic work, diminished energy, chronic fatigue, erratic and unhealthy sleeping and nutrition habits, persistent low mood, recurring periods of acute anxiety leading to anxiety attacks, suicidal ideation, and acute social withdrawal. This had led to a severe reduction in my ability to concentrate, read or write academically, think critically, or use any of the array of higher-level brain functions critical to academic success. In effect, I developed a form of academic post-traumatic stress disorder, to the point where activities as simple as picking up books, or encountering any mention of school or careers online was enough to cause a downward emotional spiral.
While I am still seeking treatment for these conditions, since I returned home I have made major progress in recovering my reading capabilities, my ability and desire to write and my sleeping and eating health, and have now found part-time employment. In addition, I have consistently maintained my medication schedule for over a year, taking antidepressants that I am now reducing in intake and will hopefully be cutting out completely over the next few months.
However, the residual emotional connections to PHIL 493 have made working on the paper as difficult as it was before I left Kingston, even after the approval of my appeal in June. Up until the beginning of September I had hoped that the approval of the appeal would alleviate the bulk of my remaining anxieties when it came to my relationship with my degree and the university administration, but I have come to realize that the baggage - both emotional in terms of racing thoughts and flashbacks, and logistical in terms of nearly 4 years of scattered drafts and notes - associated with this course is to severe for me to complete it; and has convinced me that a clean break with all academic activities with which I was engaged in April 2016 represents the best path forward for personal recovery and future academic success.
As I have also previously indicated, I still have copies of all of my coursework in addition to the course syllabus, and would be more than happy to provide them to yourselves and Professor Smith should they be needed to calculate the aegrotat estimated mark.
Thank you for consideration in this matter,
Ben