Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whoever this may concern,

I am writing to appeal my academic dismissal from Queen’s University. It was not a big surprise, but still upsetting news. I am writing this letter with the hope of being reinstated for September 2023. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to explain my circumstances.

The last few semesters have been a poor reflection of my academic capabilities. I do not wish to make excuses for my poor academic performance, I only wish to explain the circumstances that led to my grades suffering and propose my plan for success. Fall 2021 was a particularly difficult semester for me as my good friend from high school was battling brain cancer. It was crushing to witness someone you once knew so well deteriorate right in front of your eyes. It is an experience that my friends and I will share together and never forget. We had been friends for 5 beautiful years, but she unfortunately passed away on the 12th of December 2021. She is buried at the Aurora Cemetery, marked with an angel tombstone. Not to one’s surprise, I struggled to write my fall 2021 exams the following week despite keeping up with most of the content. I failed to communicate this with my professors, the university, and even my friends. Spring semester of 2021 was no treat either, I was constantly ill with every known respiratory virus possible which included corona virus, rhinovirus, pneumonia, and to top it all off the flu. My health suffered as I failed to look after myself; bad habits I had picked up by being around the wrong people, not sleeping enough, and not eating enough are just a few. I was in and out of Kingston General Hospital, CDK Walk-In-Clinic, and my local pharmacy. Unsurprisingly, I had a challenging time working through content, missing so much class, and lacking energy. You would be able to find the appropriate documentation on your end with the countless academic consideration requests I made then. Should you wish to see more I can happily reach out for the appropriate paperwork. Winter 2022 semester was no walk in the park. On the 24th of February 2022, Russia announced war on my Ukraine. I am extremely proud to be Ukrainian, but this news broke my family and I. Excluding my aunt, all my immediate family reside in Ukraine. Not to mention that my ill grandmother was now stuck in a country of war with no access to her life sustaining cancer treatment. We were able to get her out through some random Facebook post, but it was and remains a stressful situation that emotionally and physically drained me. I struggled to sustain focus and energy while my thoughts were racing elsewhere. Summer 2022 semester came with another death and a heartbreak. The 4th of August 2022 came with the passing of Serguei Smeretchinskii, my good friend Timosha Smeretchinskii’s father who I regularly crossed paths with during our time together in high school and even into the first couple of years of university. It was a loss that felt as though I had lost my own father. Not to mention a few weeks later my partner and I took our separate ways, which may seem child-like, but again this was someone who I had shared a life with for many years. A few heavy weeks that consumed me come exam time. Fall 2022 semester, I was diagnosed with bronchitis in late October which had a long and drawn-out recovery. I had sent in an academic consideration request which included hospital discharge information, prescriptions for inhalers and other medications, and tests should you need to see more documentation. Spring 2023 semester brought the passing of a close family friend. On the 28th of February 2023, Nicole Kostevskii committed suicide. This was a particularly difficult loss as this was someone I grew up with. Losing someone to suicide is a different type of grief that attacks you from within. I was made aware through a post her brother had made to commemorate her 1- month of passing before having to take my spring exams. My head was not in the right place to say the least, and I used employment throughout the last two years to distract myself.