Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

My name is Larissa Mary Gulfam, I am a first-year student at Queen??s University. I am taking the online psychology 3-year program. I would like to drop ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body, I took this course in the fall term of 2022.

My extenuating circumstance is that I developed an infectious bump the second time on my throat. The first infectious bump I developed was around January 16, 2022, it was larger than my second bump. It was painful for me to swallow, talk, and I had symptoms of a fever. The infection and bump disappeared around March 9, 2022. On September 17, 2022, I went to the doctor for the bump that appeared the second time on my throat. My doctor signed a letter from the Ontario Diagnostic Center to get the bump scanned because he did not know what was the cause, and why it appeared a second time. The second bump that I developed on my throat was smaller but still painful as the first one I got. I had the same symptoms of fever as the first time I had a throat infection such as headaches, a hoarse voice, and pain in my throat that occurred sometimes when I spoke. Due to these symptoms, I had to take lots of breaks to rest; however, when I tried to study I wasn??t able to do it as effectively since I felt so feverish. My feverish symptoms also affected me as I would do my tests for ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body. The reason why I wanted to drop ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body is because of the infection in my throat. Due to the infection, I found it difficult to study and do the work for this course. ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body is a science course with lots of tests, and due to my illness, I wasn??t able to properly study for the work I had to do. For my other classes too, I found it difficult to do my school work as well; however, they were not as heavy as ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body. Therefore, I did not have as much difficulty in those courses. I did not have as many tests and as much work to study for as I did in ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body compared to my other courses. I did email my Psych 100 Coordinator if I could submit my work that was said to be due on Friday, on onQ they gave a grace period on Monday. I asked about this because of my low health, I needed more time to study and complete my assignments. I was under the wrong assumption that handing in my assignment on the grace period would decrease my mark, that is why I emailed my course just to confirm that my mark wouldn??t drop.

As I am in my second semester now, I am almost halfway through my first year. My health has gotten better, and the bump on my neck has been treated and has disappeared. After Christmas break, I was able to rest a lot and orally take in medicine that helped my throat. I am also now able to make an appointment for a dermatologist to check my skin to see how these bumps have developed. I have other bumps on my skin, but they were never infectious or painful like this. Since the dermatologist has come back in mid-January, I can now make an appointment. I understand now how important it is to keep track of important dates at school. I knew my condition was bad, and it was my responsibility to drop out of ANAT 100 Anatomy of the Human Body before the deadline. In the future, I now know that it is crucial for me to email my professor or TA??s if my condition worsens, and to make sure if I need to drop out of a course, that I should do it at the appropriate time.

Sincerely, Larissa Gulfam