Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I hope you are keeping well. My name is Avery Fiorini, and I’m writing to ask for your understanding and reconsideration of the failing grade I received in POLS 410 by Professor Baisley during the Winter 2025 semester at Queen’s University. I truly believe that this grade doesn’t accurately reflect my academic ability or what I am capable of as a fourth-year student; it reflects a set of very difficult circumstances that were beyond my control.

I’m registered with Queen’s Accessibility Services for ADHD, anxiety, and depression, all of which I have attached documentation for. I’ve been managing these conditions throughout my life and academic journey, and I’ve worked hard to advocate for myself and use the accommodations in place. I’ve always known that I need structure and face-to-face support to stay on track, stay focused, and feel like I belong in the learning space, for without these resources, I fail almost every time. Unfortunately, this semester, any kind of structure of support that was always available to me for the past three years at Queens University was taken away. And this takes me to the reason I am writing ot you today. Very early in the term, right after the PSAC 901 Unit 1 strike began, Professor Baisley moved all of our POLS 410 classes, including office hours, to Zoom for the rest of the semester. I respect her decision to support the strike, but it had a major psychological and academic impact on me. Even when we were meeting in person at the beginning, I struggled to stay focused through the three-hour seminars now and then. However, when one believes that they have support and options to succeed, always available to them. For me, it was always like a boost of confidence, basically reaffirming to me that it is ok if I feel trapped, my professors and TAs will always be willing to help. Once everything shifted online, it became almost impossible for any of that self-assurance or self-confidence to flourish.

What followed wasn’t just academic roadblocks; it quickly turned into a personal and emotional spiral, resulting in falling behind in the coursework, and I began to internalize that struggle as personal failure. My ADHD made it incredibly difficult to focus in the Zoom seminars, and the more I struggled, the more I blamed myself. This self-criticism triggered my anxiety and depression, leading to overwhelming feelings of inadequacy, hopelessness, and isolation. I lost not only confidence in my academic abilities, but also the confidence I had in myself. It felt like I was unravelling in real time, without any meaningful support to stop the decline. The lack of support and any in-person contact with my professor left me feeling like I was on my own. And with my conditions, that sense of isolation makes everything worse.

I hope to advocate to you today that I didn’t fail because I didn’t care or didn’t try. I’ve always taken my academics very seriously and have valued my academic abilities since I was a child. Which I believe is reflected in my transcript, where I maintained a GPA of 3.7 before receiving the failing grade in POLS 410. So when I started falling behind in this course, I didn’t just experience stress; I began to internalize the struggle as personal failure. I failed because the environment changed in a way that directly worked against the accommodations I rely on. I believe if the course had remained in person, or if more flexibility or support had been available, I would have had a fighting chance. But under these conditions, I was set up to fall behind, and once I did, it felt impossible to catch up. This course failure has been incredibly hard on me; I have completely lost a sense of who I am, thinking I am stupid and unable to succeed, not just academically, but in my personal life as well. But I’m not giving up. I care deeply about my education and my future. That’s why I’m asking you to consider a remedy, given these extenuating circumstances, whether that’s retroactive withdrawal, grade removal from my GPA, I’m not asking for a handout. I’m asking for a chance to succeed under fair circumstances. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for considering what I’ve shared. It means a lot.

Sincerely,
Avery Fiorini

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