Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Johanne Bénard, Associate Dean (Studies)
May 11th, 2015
Erica Lipworth - 10150522

Dear Dr. Bénard:
My name is Erica Lipworth and I am going into my second year of the Concurrent Education science program at Queen¿¿s University. I am appealing to receive credit standing for MATH 121 and CHEM 112.
On October 27th, 2014, my friend and neighbour, whom I have known since I was six years old, Jonah Lowy, passed away from a sudden and totally unexpected brain aneurism (please see attached funeral information, news coverage and picture of the two of us together). As a result of this event, I had to frequently go back and forth from Kingston to Toronto for the funeral and for the support of my family. This caused me to miss valuable work time on the weekends as well as many Friday afternoons - both classes were on Fridays. The funeral was on Thursday October 30th. Worried about missing more class than I would need to, I went straight from the funeral to the bus so as not to miss Friday. The quick transition from funeral to school was extremely difficult and emotionally tolling. In addition, grieving Jonah¿¿s passing hindered my ability to concentrate on my academics, both in and out of class. I suffered from a lack of motivation, appetite as well as panic attacks. I saw a doctor twice; once for a severe panic attack in second semester, which was concerning enough for my parents to recommend I see a doctor (please see attached doctors note), and once due to abnormal weight loss just after first semester as a result of my lack of appetite.
I feel it is important to note that I did not contact HCDS as I felt uncomfortable seeking professional help at the time. Of course, as aforementioned, I saw a doctor twice, when the panic attacks reached an all-time high and because of abnormal weight loss due to lack of appetite. Instead, I heavily relied on my family in Toronto to help me through this difficult time.
I am only appealing to receive credit standing for two of my courses, MATH 121 and CHEM 112, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I don¿¿t want to use the death of a friend as an excuse for general inadequate marks. I have been worried about exactly this and have held off making this appeal for many days as a result. I have always been a hardworking, A+ student. I feel as though I simply have not been myself or been able to demonstrate the work ethic I know I truly have because of this difficult situation. As well, both MATH 121 and CHEM 112 are full year courses and have weekly videos to watch and/or online quizzes to complete. Because I was constantly catching up this year in terms of school work, I often ended up behind in academic weeks and could not learn the information on time in order to successfully take the quizzes. This resulted in a lack of mental solidification of the material as well as a mark of zero for some of the online quizzes. Bussing on Friday afternoons also caused me to miss those two classes the most. Therefore MATH 121 and CHEM 112 are my lowest marks. Also, the panic attacks and funeral directly affected those courses as I missed a MATH 121 test because of a severe panic attack (please see attached doctor¿¿s note), causing the academic weight of my April exam to increase. I had CHEM 112 labs on Thursday evenings and since the funeral was on a Thursday, Mr. Mombourquette graciously granted me permission to miss that evening¿¿s lab. I had to take it on makeup week ¿¿ along with two other labs I had missed due to Jewish holidays ¿¿ again, shortening my exam study time and increasing my anxiety towards the subject.
I have always excelled in and loved the sciences and know these marks do not reflect my abilities. I would hate for an event such as this to inhibit me from furthering my studies within them. I was planning on applying for a Biology major but, as of now, my GPA may just miss the cut off mark for the waitlist. If granted, this appeal will bring my GPA high enough to be eligible.
I plan on doing everything I possibly can to achieve academic success for the next four years of my degree. I am looking into seeing a therapist and monitoring my sleep and food intake very carefully. As time is passing, I will need to come home less and this summer I will focus on thinking positively and bettering myself. Next year, I will utilise all of the resources of which I was made aware during the past year - before I start to fall behind. I look forward to a successful, bright and exciting academic career at Queen¿¿s University for the next four years.
Your time and consideration is greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Erica Lipworth