Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Olivia Dibua. I am a 2nd year Arts & Science student.

I am writing a petition to drop GNDS 125-700 from Fall 2023, DEVS 102-003 from Winter 2024, and HLTH 101-700 from Summer 2024. Also, I am requesting credit standing in DEVS 101-004 from Fall 2023 and RELS 137-001 from Winter 2024.

Upon enrolling at Queen’s in the Fall of 2023, I was excited to be part of the Women’s Rugby Program and become a student in the Faculty of Arts & Science. The first few weeks were going well until I got my third concussion of 2023 on September 9th while at practice. After my concussion, I was unable to participate in school, class, and athletics. I had to sit out for roughly one week before I was allowed to go back to school, and even then, I was dealing with symptoms. If I tried to do schoolwork for longer than 30 minutes, I would get an intense headache and struggle to concentrate. Because of this, my schoolwork was delayed and not to the standard I usually submit, which caused me to fall behind in my courses for Fall 2023. I have attached three verifications of extenuating circumstance forms, which document that I was seeking academic consideration through to the Fall 2023 term and again at the end of the Winter 2024 term. I reached out to my professors, and a couple of them were willing to give me an extension through the winter term. I believed I could try to complete some of the work from Fall 2023 throughout the Winter 2024 term, but I was enrolled in 15 units in Winter 2024 in addition to trying to finish the nine units from Fall 2023. (My GNDS 120 course is still GD standing, so I am hoping to finish that course at some point this year.)

As I started the Winter 2024 term, I already felt behind because I was worried about finishing my courses from Fall 2023; as a result, I was having trouble balancing it all. My concussion symptoms persisted throughout the entire Fall 2023 term and the Winter 2024 term. I continued to have difficulty focusing and completing my work because of ongoing symptoms, including a pounding headache, fatigue, and dizziness. I struggled throughout the Winter 2024 term with not only my concussion but also back problems that began to increase and mental health concerns with the transition to Queen’s, Kingston, and being a first year. In the past few years, rugby has become a large part of my life, and being unable to play and participate in my first year at Queen’s was incredibly difficult. I finally got an X-ray on April 2nd for my back, which was causing me severe pain, especially when I was trying to sit still in the classroom and study for long periods. The results from X-Ray showed that I have had scoliosis. Learning this news, in addition to everything else I had faced throughout my first year at Queen's had an impact on both my physical and mental health.

After discussing it with my parents, I decided to take a Summer 2024 course in hopes of boosting my GPA so that I would no longer be on Academic Probation. The summer was no easier than the fall and winter. I tried a new medication for the scoliosis in my back, which included an antidepressant. The antidepressant made me tired, and dizzy, and I was sleeping the majority of the day.

I am asking that you consider my petition to drop these courses after the academic deadline and move my other courses to credit standing because I want to start fresh. My academic performance in 2023-24 does not represent who I am as a student. I have always been a high-achieving student-athlete, and these significant injuries throughout 2023-24 impacted my academic success. I am already behind and not considered a second year because of these courses. I also am not about to get into any sociology classes because I did not get accepted into my plan because of my GPA. I want to be able to go into 2024-25 without the weight of these failed courses on my transcript. I have been working with a Staff Mentor in the Athletics Department to ensure I stay on top of my coursework and utilize the resources available to me so that I can be academically successful in 2024-25.

Thank you for considering my application to drop these courses after the academic deadline and move my courses to credit standing.

Olivia Dibua
20412568