Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dean,

I am writing to request a credit standing in two courses due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances. My academic performance in ENGL 161 (Fall 2021) and ECON 112 (Winter 2022) were severely hindered by several consecutive events that disrupted both my mental and physical health.

On the morning of October 21st, 2021, I had received a phone call from my mother notifying me my paternal grandfather had passed away. He had been living with me since I was nine years old, and we were exceptionally close. During the COVID-19 lockdowns of the summer of 2020, I was responsible for administering his insulin, and organizing his pillbox, while my mother, who worked in a care home, was living in a hotel for two months for precautionary reasons. His death was sudden and came as a shock to our family as he was in good health for the past few months, and I was heartbroken that I didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye to him. I initially booked my ticket back home to Vancouver for the 4th of November, to attend his funeral on the 6th, but after learning from my mother about the extent of the turmoil family members were experiencing after his death, I decided to move my flight date up two days and depart on the 2nd of November to support my father, grandmother, and brother who were taking his passing especially hard.

Upon my return to Kingston on the 9th of November, I was still shaken by my grandfather's passing. I found it difficult to leave the house, and my only goal at that point in time was to return home and be with my family, as this was the first death of a close family member we had ever experienced. My grades after my return to Kingston dropped in all my classes, but especially in ENGL 161, due to its emphasis on class attendance and participation. The office of Academic Considerations graciously extended me two weeks for bereavement, and my ENGL professor was very accommodating of the situation, but in retrospect I believe I should have been allocated more time. My grandfather and I shared a home for eleven years, and I viewed him as a parental figure. My immense grief, unfamiliarity with the situation, and inexperience with the academic considerations process caused me to underperform in all my courses in the Fall 2021 semester, but most pronouncedly in ENGL 161 due to the nature of the course, during a time in which I was not able to be present physically or mentally.

I returned to Vancouver on the 16th of December 2021 for winter break and was met by a still-grieving household. On the morning of January 9th, 2022, while I was still in Vancouver, I tested positive for COVID-19 and isolated myself in my room for the whole day. That very evening, my mother came to my room and informed me that my maternal grandfather, who lived in rural Kerala, India had also suddenly passed away. My maternal grandfather and I were also very close, as he raised me from ages three to seven, while my parents were out working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I was shocked to hear of his passing as he was only seventy-six years old, and there was no suggestion that he was in poor health, as I had talked to him over text message ten days earlier. We soon learned that my entire household had contracted COVID, meaning none of us would be able to attend his funeral.

At this point in time, I lost all focus over all of my academic obligations. I was utterly grief-stricken at the loss of two of the most important figures of my life, and I was heartbroken that I was not able to say a proper goodbye to either of them. I deferred an exam for the Fall 2021 term due to the death of my paternal grandfather and missed the deferred exam period in 2022 due to the death of my maternal grandfather. I neglected to check onQ during this period and significantly fell behind in all my classes. I contacted the office of Academic Considerations, and they were able to address some of my concerns.

In addition to all of this, my COVID infection in conjunction with the stress I was dealing with had led to the development of a severe case of Alopecia Areata. Starting in the second week of January, I experienced severe hair loss, which would eventually lead to me losing 30-40% of the hair on my scalp. I felt broken, maimed, and disfigured and barely had the courage to look at myself in the mirror. The progression of my condition continued from January up until late November of 2022.

In spite of this, I left Vancouver to return to Kingston in mid to late February in hopes that the change of environment would be enough to salvage my semester. I worked tirelessly to improve my academics but catching up on half a semester of class work while still grieving both my grandparents and dealing with the consequences of alopecia proved to be too much. I attended multiple Office Hours for ECON 112, but I believe that the extenuating circumstances surrounding my 4th year made it incredibly difficult to focus on this particular class.

I rarely left my room during the 2022 Winter semester. If I had to leave the house for a particular reason, I would find myself spending hours trying to cover up patches of alopecia, because I found it extremely shameful and disfiguring. The combination of this condition, COVID infection, along with the passing of both my grandfathers led me to lose several pounds over the course of this semester and become frequently ill with the flu and multiple colds. During the 2022 Winter term, I was unable both physically and mentally to meet the demands of ECON 112.

It would never be in my intention to mislead or mischaracterize my experiences for the purposes of getting a better grade. Many a times during my academic career at Queen's, I have fallen short of academic excellence due to my own personal shortcomings, but I take full responsibility for those instances. I believe that I have grown as a student over the years, and learned to take my education more seriously, as exemplified by a trend of increasingly better grades, culminating in my inclusion on the Dean's Honours List in my 3rd year of studies.

However, I do believe the series of events during my 4th year were unforeseen, extenuating, and severely hindered my ability to realize my academic potential.

The contents of this petition letter describe in earnest the personal trials I was experiencing during my 4th year. If any additional documentation is needed, it can be provided as necessary. I apologize for the belated submission of this petition, as I was struggling with severe alopecia up until the end of 2022 and was in no position to revisit my traumatic experiences at that time.

Writing this letter still brings me an immense amount of pain and opens up wounds which have not yet fully healed. I pray that you will consider my petition and this letter in good faith, as I have done my best to be completely honest and truthful, while exposing my insecurities and vulnerabilities surrounding what I consider to be the most challenging twelve months of my life.

Sincerely,

Justin George