Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Nabeel Rashid
82 McKellar Lake Rd
McKellar, ON. P0G 1C0
0nr2@queensu.ca

September 20, 2015

Dr. Johanne Bernard
Associate Dean (Admission & Recruitment) and Associate Dean (Studies)
94 University Avenue
Queen's University
Kingston, ON Canada
K7L 3N6

Request for Appeal of Dismissal

Dear Ms. Bernard,

I am writing to request an appeal of the dismissal decision by the Faculty of a three year withdrawal from Queen¿¿s. Additionally, if I could please appeal to drop the following courses ECON 212 Microeconomic Theory 1 (Fall 2014), ECON 232 Diffusion Mod Economic Growth (Winter 2015), ECON 250 Introduction to Statistics (Winter 2015) and ECON 255 Intro Mathematical Economics (Winter 2015). These courses were taken during my Academic year 2014-2015 in Queens University.

Last September, I was reinstated at Queens University to continue and move further in my Academic career. Taking the time off previously gave me the drive and an immense motivation to succeed. I took courses that were mandatory for my Degree Program plus another that I thoroughly enjoyed and really appreciated which was RELS 361 Business, Ethics and Religion. In the Fall of 2014, I received a failing mark for ECON 212. This subject was going well for me however; I deferred my final Econ exam because of my exam load and besides I was traveling back to Dubai to visit with my parents. Mr. Stewart approved it and I dealt directly with Ms. Jennine Ball, my academic advisor. However, by the time I received my grade for this class, it was in the summer of 2015; I had not performed well.

Entering my Winter Term of 2015 in Queen¿¿s University, I made sure I filled my course load with my Degree Plan, which in hindsight was possibly the wrong thing to do. As the school year continued, it got increasingly harder for me to cope. At that point, I regrettably did not seek advice from my advisor. After I left Dubai, my grandmother left Toronto to visit my family during the winter. Unfortunately, she suffered a cardiac arrest and was admitted to the hospital. In February, I traveled back home for one week to be with my family. My grandmother is the pillar stone of our family and one to whom we are extremely close ¿¿ especially since she is the only family I have here in Canada. By the time I returned for midterms in February, I was emotionally distraught. With this added family pressure, the school year became even more difficult. With no one around I could open up to, I felt lonely and helpless and I could feel the onset of depression. Lectures were more difficult to absorb, and studying became even harder. At the advice of friends, I sought professional medical help and was told that the symptoms I described and the academic hindrance I was facing had indications of ADD/ADHD and further tests were strongly recommended. Through all this, I never once suspected that as a result of the above, I would face Dismissal from Queen¿¿s and it was most certainly a great blow.

Hopefully my appeal will be granted and in that instance, I would fulfill my academic career here at Queen¿¿s University and my year ahead will be a lot different. I am currently undergoing professional help to cope with my ailment and feel better able to cope with stress. Additionally, I will revise my course load and instead of taking specific courses for my Degree Plan, which I did in the past; I will take electives that I will thoroughly enjoy. This will help me with my discipline and increase my GPA. If I were to be granted an opportunity to continue, the courses which I will pursue online for Fall 2015 term, I will live at home with my brother who is my role model. He just moved to Canada over the summer for a year and by having him around during this time of the year will help me maintain focus on the tasks in a disciplined fashion. For the courses which I will be pursuing at the campus, I would work with a counselor with whom I can meet at least twice a week and tutors for the classes for which I know I will need extra help.

This summer has been a rebirth ¿¿ a chrysalis ¿¿ I have had the good fortune to speak to several very successful professionals who have shared their experiences and from whom I have learnt some very key lessons ¿¿ specifically, work hard and take courses which will benefit me and which will be beneficial to me; not something which will look good on the academic landscape. Once I came to terms with that within myself, it was a very liberating feeling. On the family side, I feel blessed, my grandmother is much better and my family has been fully supportive of me. On the health front, I am continuing tests with my medical practitioner and these have helped my general outlook and my overall social demeanor. Registering for fall semester courses are due by the end of September. I know it is quite a time constraint but hopefully you will consider my appeal and allow me to continue my studies at Queen¿¿s this term; I feel capable and ready to further myself academically and I sincerely hope you will rule in my favor.

Sincerely,

Nabeel Rashid
06336867