Petition Letter
To whom it may concern,
I am appealing to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, and POLS 469 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty. Over the weekend of September 18th, I hit my head twice while volunteering with the Alma Mater Society??s Orientation Roundtable Committee. I hit my head once on September 18th and again on September 19th. I was diagnosed with a concussion at Hotel Dieu by Dr. K. Graham on September 22nd. I received academic accommodations for my concussion from Queen's Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) on September 28th. When I was diagnosed with my concussion it was projected that I may recover in a week or two. However, this is my second concussion, the first occurring in the Fall of 2017, and the recovery period extended far beyond the projected timeline.
Unfortunately, while I was recovering from my concussion, I was diagnosed with pyelonephritis. I was originally diagnosed with pyelonephritis by Dr. J. Bornstein on October 6th. On October 11th I returned to the emergency room as the symptoms caused by my pyelonephritis persisted despite having completed 6 of the 10 days of my prescribed treatment. Dr. A. Cheng prescribed me a new 14-day treatment that concluded on October 25th.
Despite strictly following the treatment prescribed for both my concussion and pyelonephritis I have continued to experience extreme fatigue, decreased focus and concentration, and headaches. Furthermore, I have been experiencing heightened anxiety and depressive symptomology. I was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2015 but I have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. I have been registered with Queen??s Student Accessibility Services since the summer of 2018. I have continued to struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder throughout my time at Queen??s. The impact of my concussion and pyelonephritis diagnosis led to a significant deterioration in my mental health. During the week of November 8th, I met with both my family doctor and psychologist. They both came to the conclusion that I am experiencing depressive symptomology triggered by my head injury which explains why I have continued to experience these symptoms despite strictly following my treatment. After receiving this diagnosis, I decided that I needed to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, and POLS 469 to focus on my mental and physical health. Unfortunately, I came to this conclusion a week after the November 1st drop deadline. That is why at this time I am appealing to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, and POLS 469 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty.
To ensure that I am able to return to my academics in January 2022, I have been working closely with my family doctor, Dr. Marchetti and my psychologist, Dr. Brown. I have been taking Escitalopram to help manage my Generalized Anxiety Disorder since the spring of 2019. Dr. Marchetti adjusted my prescription for my anxiety medication on November 11th. Furthermore, I have increased my frequency in counselling from one to two times a week. While I am taking the recovery process day by day, I have begun to see improvements in my health already. Throughout my recovery process, I have maintained communication with my Accessibility Services Advisor and an Academic Advisor. I will make sure to maintain communication with my Accessibility Services Advisor and an Academic Advisor often to ensure that I am effectively
prioritizing my mental and physical health. Finally, to make up for dropping these courses I have decided to take summer courses and a 5th year.
I firmly believe by taking this time to prioritize my physical and mental health now I will be able to fully return to my academic pursuits in January 2022. Thank you for taking the time to consider my appeal to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, POLS 469 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty.
All the best,
Emma Patton
I am appealing to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, and POLS 469 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty. Over the weekend of September 18th, I hit my head twice while volunteering with the Alma Mater Society??s Orientation Roundtable Committee. I hit my head once on September 18th and again on September 19th. I was diagnosed with a concussion at Hotel Dieu by Dr. K. Graham on September 22nd. I received academic accommodations for my concussion from Queen's Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) on September 28th. When I was diagnosed with my concussion it was projected that I may recover in a week or two. However, this is my second concussion, the first occurring in the Fall of 2017, and the recovery period extended far beyond the projected timeline.
Unfortunately, while I was recovering from my concussion, I was diagnosed with pyelonephritis. I was originally diagnosed with pyelonephritis by Dr. J. Bornstein on October 6th. On October 11th I returned to the emergency room as the symptoms caused by my pyelonephritis persisted despite having completed 6 of the 10 days of my prescribed treatment. Dr. A. Cheng prescribed me a new 14-day treatment that concluded on October 25th.
Despite strictly following the treatment prescribed for both my concussion and pyelonephritis I have continued to experience extreme fatigue, decreased focus and concentration, and headaches. Furthermore, I have been experiencing heightened anxiety and depressive symptomology. I was previously diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2015 but I have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. I have been registered with Queen??s Student Accessibility Services since the summer of 2018. I have continued to struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder throughout my time at Queen??s. The impact of my concussion and pyelonephritis diagnosis led to a significant deterioration in my mental health. During the week of November 8th, I met with both my family doctor and psychologist. They both came to the conclusion that I am experiencing depressive symptomology triggered by my head injury which explains why I have continued to experience these symptoms despite strictly following my treatment. After receiving this diagnosis, I decided that I needed to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, and POLS 469 to focus on my mental and physical health. Unfortunately, I came to this conclusion a week after the November 1st drop deadline. That is why at this time I am appealing to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, and POLS 469 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty.
To ensure that I am able to return to my academics in January 2022, I have been working closely with my family doctor, Dr. Marchetti and my psychologist, Dr. Brown. I have been taking Escitalopram to help manage my Generalized Anxiety Disorder since the spring of 2019. Dr. Marchetti adjusted my prescription for my anxiety medication on November 11th. Furthermore, I have increased my frequency in counselling from one to two times a week. While I am taking the recovery process day by day, I have begun to see improvements in my health already. Throughout my recovery process, I have maintained communication with my Accessibility Services Advisor and an Academic Advisor. I will make sure to maintain communication with my Accessibility Services Advisor and an Academic Advisor often to ensure that I am effectively
prioritizing my mental and physical health. Finally, to make up for dropping these courses I have decided to take summer courses and a 5th year.
I firmly believe by taking this time to prioritize my physical and mental health now I will be able to fully return to my academic pursuits in January 2022. Thank you for taking the time to consider my appeal to drop POLS 388, POLS 421, POLS 469 (Fall, 2021) without academic penalty.
All the best,
Emma Patton