Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic), Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am petitioning two Late Course Drops - one for RELS 131 and one for HIST 207, as well as a CR Request for HIST 109 (Winter, 2025). During the first week of February of the second semester of the 2024/25 school year, I found out I had become pregnant. Finding this out was very stressful, and I immediately got in contact with the Lakeside Clinic in Kingston to book an appointment for an abortion. In February, I attended necessary appointments to obtain the pills for an at-home medical abortion, and throughout February, my body was experiencing noticeable changes due to the pregnancy. It was hard for me to stay on top of school as there were quite a lot of other things on my mind, but I tried my best. March 1st, I took the pills I was given by the doctors at Lakeside Clinic, and the abortion took place. That weekend was quite draining and tough on my body and mind. Throughout March, I continually bled which was deemed normal for after the abortion but I was pretty much always feeling tired and still feeling very off in my body due to all of these changes. School was not my first priority throughout these months as I had to take care of my physical health, as well as deal with the emotional repercussions and growing feelings of anxiety from the stress of everything that had happened. I sent multiple emails to professors throughout the second semester about my situation, as I was finding it hard to consistently attend class and engage in my school work. I also visited Student Wellness Services multiple times, once for a consultation with a therapist/counsellor to release some of these emotions, help me get extensions, and document what I was going through. On March 28th, I experienced a medical emergency related to my abortion. I had retained some tissue and it was causing continuous heavy bleeding from my uterus, resulting in an overall blood loss of around 1.5L that day. I was rushed for an emergency dilation & curettage operation in order to stop the bleeding, which thankfully went well with no complications. This life threatening circumstance along with everything else that had already happened during the second semester was very traumatizing. In the weeks following the procedure, I was extremely low energy due to the significant amount of blood loss which led me to be anemic, and I also experienced significant amounts of anxiety related to the trauma and shock gained from these events. I was given a doctor's note from March 28th-April 17th which excused me from any academic responsibilities, as I was in recovery. I had also gotten quite a few other extensions during the year due to my situation, not all of which were utilized as I was going through so much I some days just could not do my work. I deferred my exams and did them in May, and when I was waiting for my marks to come back for the semester I knew they were not going to be the best. I saw that I ended up failing RELS 131 and HIST 207, and getting not the best grades in my other courses, the worst of which being HIST 109 wherein I got a D. I knew that if my grades came back failing or bad, I was going to get in touch with the university to understand anything I could do to explain my situation and possibly get the grades taken off my transcript. It doesn’t feel good to see these grades, but I know I did the best that I could given that the situation was unforeseen, out of my control, and extremely emotionally and physically draining. Since being home, I have visited with my family doctor who can advocate for the anxiety the winter semester caused me, and I have an appointment to obtain documentation concerning this during June (documentation on anxiety to be sent at later date). I feel much better now that I have gotten to take a lot of time to heal emotionally and physically and process everything that happened. I am taking iron medications which are helping with my energy levels, and I should feel pretty much back to my normal physical health soon. I went into second year looking to get a good academic standing, and I felt I had a good handle on my work in the first semester, but everything that happened in the second semester really exacerbated my ADHD and imposed lots of anxiety on me. I already feel significantly more emotionally stable, and am looking forward to the coming year and working towards getting a firm handle on my work with campus resources and student academic success services. I really enjoy the English program, and I feel strongly about doing my best going forward, utilizing help when needed. I am planning to retake these courses as soon as possible, or possibly stay at Queen’s for an extra semester at the end of my four years.

Thank you,
Kate