Petition Letter
Dear Sir/Madam,
In the past winter and summer terms, I faced severe extenuating circumstances resulting in failed/incomplete courses. This is an appeal to drop those courses, thereby removing the fail grades from my record.
In the last week of February 2022, I began to suffer from serious digestion issues. I was well ahead with my coursework at the time and expected to recover in a few days, which is why I did not drop my courses in early March before the academic drop deadline.
By mid-March, I was still in a constant state of extreme discomfort, rapidly losing weight. I became anxious that I had a parasite, infection, or had developed an allergy., I contacted Student Wellness Services and after explaining my situation the on-campus doctor recommended I get lab tests done to determine the cause. I returned home to receive support from my family.
By the end of March, I had fallen very behind with coursework and was granted academic consideration. At this point I expected the lab tests to reveal the cause of my problems and that treatment would soon follow. Under this assumption, I arranged a revised academic plan with my profs in early April. In the courses GLPH 271 and PHGY 170, I was too far behind to possibly catch up and pass. I filed requests for incomplete grades in these courses, which were granted. In EMPR 200, ENGL 162, and PATH 310, my profs and I agreed upon a combination of reweighed assignments and deferred exams to make it possible for me to complete the courses. Despite my severely impaired faculties I managed to write the PATH 310 final exam which I had preemptively studied for before the onset of my condition.
I was also pushing myself to study and complete assignments / deferred exams in EMPR 200 and ENGL 162. However, by this time I had received the results of my lab tests and no cause could be found. This was deeply frustrating after more than a month of daily severe discomfort with no end in sight. I became depressed and apathetic, refusing meals and laying in bed for weeks at a time. Chemical imbalances caused by my physical health condition are the only explanation I have for the severity of the depression, given that I??ve always been upbeat, confident, and resilient. My entire personality changed dramatically during that period. I became irrationally cynical, believing I would never recover. I abandoned all activities including academic obligations, never completing ENGL 162 and EMPR 200, and later realized I failed the courses. I did not resume coursework in GLPH 271 or PHGY 170 which I had arranged to complete over the summer.
My distraught family was able to seek out psychological help for me on my behalf and arranged for my family doctor to do further lab testing. Throughout the summer my family and I worked with my doctor to resolve these issues.
After a never-ending cycle of false hopes and disappointments, my doctor was finally able to find me medication which worked, making a huge positive difference to my condition. The cause remains unidentifiable. My doctor has told me to consider it to be chronic, and that it may never be resolved. I still experience issues regularly but in the last month, my condition has been effectively managed with medication such that the severity of the issues is drastically reduced. I feel confident in resuming regular activities. Even so, I plan to return to my studies with a reduced course load, easing back into school slowly. Furthermore, I have decided to extend my study at Queen??s for an extra year, earning my degree after a fifth year.
If my condition worsens I will immediately drop all courses and take a leave of absence. I am confident that if my condition does not worsen before the drop date, I can assume the medication to be effective in the long term and resume studies without fear of relapsing.
I hope you will consider my appeal with compassion, and that these circumstances will not mar my academic record.
Sincerely,
Aadam Sherazi
In the past winter and summer terms, I faced severe extenuating circumstances resulting in failed/incomplete courses. This is an appeal to drop those courses, thereby removing the fail grades from my record.
In the last week of February 2022, I began to suffer from serious digestion issues. I was well ahead with my coursework at the time and expected to recover in a few days, which is why I did not drop my courses in early March before the academic drop deadline.
By mid-March, I was still in a constant state of extreme discomfort, rapidly losing weight. I became anxious that I had a parasite, infection, or had developed an allergy., I contacted Student Wellness Services and after explaining my situation the on-campus doctor recommended I get lab tests done to determine the cause. I returned home to receive support from my family.
By the end of March, I had fallen very behind with coursework and was granted academic consideration. At this point I expected the lab tests to reveal the cause of my problems and that treatment would soon follow. Under this assumption, I arranged a revised academic plan with my profs in early April. In the courses GLPH 271 and PHGY 170, I was too far behind to possibly catch up and pass. I filed requests for incomplete grades in these courses, which were granted. In EMPR 200, ENGL 162, and PATH 310, my profs and I agreed upon a combination of reweighed assignments and deferred exams to make it possible for me to complete the courses. Despite my severely impaired faculties I managed to write the PATH 310 final exam which I had preemptively studied for before the onset of my condition.
I was also pushing myself to study and complete assignments / deferred exams in EMPR 200 and ENGL 162. However, by this time I had received the results of my lab tests and no cause could be found. This was deeply frustrating after more than a month of daily severe discomfort with no end in sight. I became depressed and apathetic, refusing meals and laying in bed for weeks at a time. Chemical imbalances caused by my physical health condition are the only explanation I have for the severity of the depression, given that I??ve always been upbeat, confident, and resilient. My entire personality changed dramatically during that period. I became irrationally cynical, believing I would never recover. I abandoned all activities including academic obligations, never completing ENGL 162 and EMPR 200, and later realized I failed the courses. I did not resume coursework in GLPH 271 or PHGY 170 which I had arranged to complete over the summer.
My distraught family was able to seek out psychological help for me on my behalf and arranged for my family doctor to do further lab testing. Throughout the summer my family and I worked with my doctor to resolve these issues.
After a never-ending cycle of false hopes and disappointments, my doctor was finally able to find me medication which worked, making a huge positive difference to my condition. The cause remains unidentifiable. My doctor has told me to consider it to be chronic, and that it may never be resolved. I still experience issues regularly but in the last month, my condition has been effectively managed with medication such that the severity of the issues is drastically reduced. I feel confident in resuming regular activities. Even so, I plan to return to my studies with a reduced course load, easing back into school slowly. Furthermore, I have decided to extend my study at Queen??s for an extra year, earning my degree after a fifth year.
If my condition worsens I will immediately drop all courses and take a leave of absence. I am confident that if my condition does not worsen before the drop date, I can assume the medication to be effective in the long term and resume studies without fear of relapsing.
I hope you will consider my appeal with compassion, and that these circumstances will not mar my academic record.
Sincerely,
Aadam Sherazi