Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am petitioning to convert ECON 111 (Winter, 2024) and IDIS 173 (Winter, 2024) to “credit standing” status. I have previously submitted a petition to drop these courses and such petition was summarily deleted without any consideration due to the passing of time limits.  I subsequently had a call with a Queens University academic advisor on this matter and the advisor stated that a “credit standing” determination may be the optimal route forward.
During the past winter term, I experienced unforeseen extenuating circumstances in my first-year residence that compromised the state of my mental health, which inhibited me from performing to the best of my abilities in many of my classes. I have been living with chronic anxiety/depression and ADHD and have been on medication to treat my conditions for the past two years. My family physician statement is uploaded with this petition for further support of my condition.
In November of 2023, I moved to a single-plus residence at Leggett Hall where I shared a wall and bathroom with another student. My can-mate would often bring friends into his room, talk on the phone, play music, and generally make a lot of noise on a near daily basis between 2-5 am. I woke up to the noise in the early hours of the morning unable to fall back asleep. I would then go to class feeling irritable, exhausted, and unable to focus. As a first-year college student, I hesitated to talk to my can-mate. After several weeks, I finally addressed this issue with him and although he agreed to keep quiet on multiple occasions, the noise continued. I then notified the residence Don on call and my floor Don numerous times over many months. Each time, I was told something would be done but nothing changed over five months. Ultimately, I was at a loss and felt defeated. Given my ADHD diagnosis, I specifically moved to a single residence on the main campus to prioritize my schoolwork and focus on my classes in a private space. However, the ongoing sleep deprivation caused suboptimal performance in many of my classes as I had trouble focusing and concentrating. My overall mental health suffered due to feeling defeated and exhausted from the lack of sleep, which exacerbated my chronic diagnosed depression.
I was not able to drop these courses earlier as I was hoping that I would be able to perform well in these classes even with these extenuating circumstances. I managed to maintain grades in some, but not all of my classes.
Last fall, I enrolled at Queens without declaring a major as I did not know what to pursue in college. I have since decided to major in arts/design and am currently in the process of trying to transfer to a different university as Queens offers limited courses in this field. I received a conditional offer from another university with a minimum GPA requirement. Both ECON 111 and IDIS 173 are courses that are not required and are unrelated to my future studies as an arts/design major. The Queen's academic advisor informed me that I could convert these courses to a “credit standing,” which if implemented, my calculated GPA will meet the minimum requirements to transfer. In terms of my future housing plans, I plan to move into a quiet studio apartment to focus better and I will seek help this summer on how to better cope with my condition and learn strategies to combat similar situations in the future.
Your approval of this petition is very important to my future as it could lead to a path to pursuing my passion. If not, it may force me to take a gap year without a plan to move forward for the next school year. Thank you very much for your consideration and I am available to answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Noah Satusky