Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Jaden Blackman. Over the past four years, I have faced a series of significant and unexpected challenges that have deeply affected my academic performance, physical health, mental well‑being, and financial stability. As a fourth‑year Arts & Science student and varsity football student-athlete, I have always taken great pride in balancing my academic and athletic commitments. However, recovering from two major ACL injuries (including MCL and meniscus damage) fundamentally reshaped my university experience and hindered my ability to perform to my full potential both inside and outside the classroom.

I am submitting this petition to request a waiver of the deadline to drop courses for the following academic terms, due to documented and ongoing extenuating circumstances:

Fall 2023: Requesting CR for BIOL 102

Winter 2024: Request to drop 9 units of F

Summer 2024: Request to drop 6 units of F

Fall 2024: Request to drop 12 units of F

Additionally, I am requesting to drop courses from Winter 2025 through the present term

I am seeking permission to retroactively drop these courses because, during this period, I was experiencing significant personal, medical, and financial challenges that directly and severely impacted my academic performance.

I experienced two major ACL tears within a very short timeline. Having my first ACL/MCL/Meniscus tear on September 17, 2022, and second ACL/Meniscus tear September 30, 2023. Both injuries required surgery, extended rehabilitation, and over nine months of continuous physiotherapy. The physical limitations, chronic pain, and inability to participate fully in daily activities made it extremely difficult to maintain my coursework. Being sidelined as a varsity football student-athlete also had a profound emotional and mental impact. Football has always been a core part of my identity, and losing that routine and community created a sense of isolation, frustration, and loss of purpose.

My second ACL tear was especially devastating. It felt like starting over from zero, and I genuinely questioned whether I had the strength to go through the recovery again. This significantly affected my mental health, motivation, and capacity to manage academic responsibilities. In 2025, when I was finally healthy enough to return, I was faced with a new set of obstacles. After missing three full seasons, I struggled to regain a position on the travelling roster. Despite feeling confident in my abilities and receiving support from teammates, I was ultimately not selected, and this outcome was not clearly communicated until after the season. This created additional emotional strain and made it difficult to remain focused academically during the associated terms.

Throughout this period, I struggled to maintain my academic performance while balancing rehabilitation appointments and dealing with physical limitations. I experienced difficulty staying on top of assignments and exam preparation, anxiety about attending classes, especially while in recovery, challenges with transportation during winter months, and a recurring cycle of falling behind, becoming increasingly anxious, and then struggling even more to catch up. Although I always understood what it took to succeed academically, I could not execute it during this time due to the overwhelming combination of physical recovery, stress, and disruptions to my routine. This created a cycle of academic anxiety that worsened with each term.

During recovery, financial insecurity became a real and major issue. I struggled to maintain consistent employment. I applied to various restaurants and took work when available, but my schedule and physical condition made stable employment nearly impossible. While at the same time, my family was facing significant financial strain. My mother, who is my main financial support, had to take on a second job and sell our home and my father lost his employment. These pressures weighed heavily on me. I felt responsible for succeeding academically and athletically to support my family emotionally and financially. Due to my injuries and the impact on my academics, I lost my Athletic Financial Award after the Winter 2024. I have also not received OSAP since Winter 2023. The financial stress intensified my academic anxiety and further impacted my mental health.

Over this period, I experienced a growing level of anxiety related to academics, finances, physical recovery, and my changing identity as a varsity student-athlete. The combination of these stressors became overwhelming. I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety around attending classes, difficulty admitting to myself, instructors, or advisors the extent of my struggles and a sense of guilt and shame about not performing to my previous standards. Despite this, I remained committed to finishing my degree and returning to peak physical performance. However, my mental health challenges were significant enough to impair my ability to seek timely support.

The primary reason I am submitting this petition at this point is that, until recently, I struggled to acknowledge the full extent of my academic difficulties. I experienced significant anxiety and shame around admitting that I was falling behind, and this made it extremely difficult to reach out for help. I kept telling myself I could catch up or turn things around, even when my circumstances made that unrealistic. It was only after finally speaking with academic support staff and being encouraged to seek proper guidance with outlets such as Carleigh Collins – Manager of Athlete Education, Training & Leadership Development, that I fully understood my options and recognized that retroactive petitions were possible and appropriate. This is the first time I have felt capable, emotionally and mentally, of addressing the situation openly and responsibly.

Although the last 4 years have been some of the most challenging in my life, they have also been deeply formative. I have learned resilience, patience, and discipline through injury recovery. I have grown through financial and emotional hardship, and I am committed to stabilizing my mental health, continuing my physical rehabilitation, improving my financial situation, and completing my degree.

Granting this petition would allow me to move forward academically without the burden of grades that do not accurately reflect my abilities, effort, or potential during a period marked by significant extenuating circumstances.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jaden Blackman

20244444

Gaels Football Student-Athlete

Queen’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) Student