Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Attention: Associate Dean (Studies)

I, Cabrini DelCorro, am appealing for Credit Standing for CHEM 313 (Fall 2015).

After a difficult second school year (2013-2014), I repeated a couple of courses and made major improvements in my academic career with healthy and balanced lifestyle choices. At the beginning of the Fall 2015 semester, a new housemate suffering from mental health illness moved into our home. My housemates and myself were unaware of her personal problems that led to immediately affecting my life, mentally and emotionally. She would involve me by entering my room and interrupting my personal space at any hour; seeking constant reassurance and help with her issues. As well, the housemate experienced many anxiety attacks throughout the semester and made claims of self-harm and potential suicide. I felt unequipped to assist her and was overwhelmed with the additional stress. I emphasized that she needed help from professionals rather than myself. At times, I felt uncomfortable to study in my own home because of possible interaction with her self-destructive personality. Just prior to the December 2015 exam period, the suffering housemate experienced a large mental breakdown and expressed dropping out of Queen¿¿s. This was followed by a house discussion and informal intervention that took up time from my studying.

The CHEM 313 final exam occurred on the first day of the exam period and was worth 80 of the final mark. It is also a required course in my Chemistry Honours degree. I was aware that this course would be very rigorous and exhausted all my resources in preparation to perform the best of my ability. I paid a TA for tutoring sessions and spent extra time studying for this course. During the final exam, I felt overwhelmed. Certain questions were phrased ambiguously and much more difficult compared to past exams and the material presented in class. Immediately after the exam, I emailed my concerns for the final to the professor and the Undergraduate Chair of Chemistry. Additionally, the DSC of Chemistry submitted an email to the Chair expressing a summation of concerns from the students and possible improvements for the future. The combination of all the stress leading up to the heavy-weighed and difficult final exam and overall anxiety associated with graduation was difficult to separate from my housemate¿¿s self-harming problems. The Undergrad Chair of Chemistry replied to me and reassured me that she would assess the grades when the marks were revealed and encouraged me to focus on my remaining exams. I had a ten-day spread until my next exams and took time to relax and focus myself after the emotionally draining events.

In the first week back of Winter Semester 2016, I made an appointment with the Undergraduate Chair of Chemistry to highlight my concerns for my final mark in CHEM 313. She referred me to get in contact with an Arts and Sciences Academic Counsellor to consider appealing the course. I met with Spring Forsberg and discussed my past semester leading up to the final exam, future goals and overall stress. Next, she led me to make an appointment with the Health and Wellness Centre to further discuss my concerns. I met with Dr. Chuck Vetere and addressed the same content with more emphasis on my personal emotions. I finally felt relaxed and comfortable after discussing my experience with a professional health counsellor.

Moving forward, I would like to appeal for Credit Standing for CHEM 313 (Fall 2015) because I strongly believe that the final grade I received does not reflect the full scope of the work I put into this course, nor my abilities as a student, if it had not been for the extenuating circumstances. The suffering housemate moved out at the end of Fall 2015 exam period. I have a strong support group at school and home. I plan to continue improving my grades for my last semester at Queen¿¿s and graduate in Spring 2016. Following my undergraduate degree, I hope to return home and pursue my graduate studies in a sustainable energy development program and potentially work in the Oil and Gas industry.

Thank you for your consideration,

Cabrini DelCorro