Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear associate Dean,

I am writing you today to appeal the course of fall 2015 (Econ 212, Econ 222,) and standing credits for (Econ 250, Econ 239), Winter 2016 (Econ 212, Econ 222, Math 126, Fren 118) and a Credit standing in Pharm 100. I am currently going into my third year here at Queen¿¿s, although I thoroughly enjoy my time here, the past year has been one of the hardest of my life.

Everyday in class I may look like my fellow students to my left and right, yet how I got here is vastly different. Bringing me to Queen¿¿s was the Regular Officer Training Program (ROTP). In my grade 12 year along with everyone else I was trying to figure out what my trail in life would be, what I would accomplish, and the course of action necessary to achieve my goals. Since a young age I was exposed to the military and the lifestyle involved with it, my Father, Grandfather, and many others close to me decided to enroll in the family trade to serve our country. Due to this I felt some pressure from them, but I took it upon myself to follow in their footsteps, and become an Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. To become an officer one must posses many skills such as leadership, intelligence, selflessness, fairness, and, absolute responsibility. This past summer, I was able to put these traits into practice in my Basic Military Officer training. Although regardless of how deeply these values are rooted within you, in order to be an Officer you must earn a degree. Within my military trade of Logistics, not only was I required to earn any degree, but a Degree in Economics.

Upon high school graduation I felt prepared and ready to take control of the immense change ahead. Moving from the small town of St. Margret¿¿s Bay, Nova Scotia, to Ontario, away from family, away from all my friends. Once arriving, discovering where many around me were academically farther prepared than the high school education I was subject to. I realized that the challenges ahead of me were more than I had anticipated. With this, I took it as motivation to work harder in order to make up the ground I was lacking in comparison to other students.

Despite my best efforts during first year, even with the help of tutors I was unable to pass Math 126. As I looked at the F on my transcript, it brought me to a halt, the first challenge I had ever not met the standards of. Using this as fuel to power myself through what would be the hardest 14 weeks of my life, Basic Training. As I pushed through many obstacles that we not only physically demanding, but required immeasurable mental resiliency, as I returned to school with the ability to harness a power within allowing to conquer any challenge ahead. At last, back on track from my hardships of the end of first year, I felt revitalized and ready to embark on another rigorous academic year.

As the semester of fall 2015 commenced I was in four Econ course, and a math course. Being a student who was struggling in math, I soon came to realize that economics wasn¿¿t the major for me. After taking a step back to analyze what I could do to keep trying to achieve a degree in economics, I looked in side of myself for that mental toughness. Implementing this into my studies I strived onward into the semester giving it my best efforts to wrap my head around the math, then when marks were posted I would found myself, again below the required standards.

Returning for the winter 2016 semester I knew I had to make a change in either my course load, or what I was studying. I decided to enroll into two online courses, Fren 118 and Pharm 100, attempting to dilute the Economics concentration I had stuck myself with for first semester. As the first few weeks went on, I felt that this may be the solution to how I was going to tackle this economics degree, by broadening the subjects I was studying, I felt less over whelmed by the math and truly began to think the goal of this degree was achievable. Little did I know as things were starting to look up, it was all about to come crashing down.

As reading week was upcoming, I asked for permission from the military to travel home to see family, due to administration issues I was unable to do so. Calling home to let my family know of I thought was going to be the bad news, my mother told me that she didn¿¿t think my grandmother would be around for very much longer. As I took the hard swallow I asked my mom for a time frame, and if I would be able to see to say good bye, as she responded hopefully that my grandmother would make it to Easter, our time was cut short the day of February 27, 2016. As the updates over the phone became more devastating, I found myself lost and without a mechanism of coping. My mother manage to connect me with my nanny one last time over the phone, I finally received some closure. As the funeral dates were set, I travelled home to support my family in this dark time, and to gain some support that I needed. As my trip was shorted to a day, caused by weather, my parents insisted that I get back to school being that I needed as much focus on my studies as possible. Once returning to Queen¿¿s, leaving my family broken and unable to do anything, I found myself distraught and hurting for motivation to work. After the days of grievance passed I found my self behind on my studies, and buried in what looked like an impossible pile of work to catch up on. As the French and pharm courses were placed on the back burners, to prioritize the work needed pass my economic courses. I was unable to conquer these challenges and felt that I had not only left myself down, but all of those who supported me, especially my grandmother.

From the day my grandmother moved in with us to our new house at the age of seven, I always thought I was special because none of my other friends had their grandmother living with them. My most fond memory is when I was ten, of the time my grandmother broke her wrist. Although not one you would think would be the happiest, but one to remember for sure. She had fallen in her bedroom, and from all the way upstairs I heard the fall, as I rushed to the commotion, I found that nobody else was around, after helping her to her chair I sprinted to find my mother who was with my sister playing at the neighbors house. As we rushed to the Emergency room, the hours went by slow of waiting for X-rays, Casting, and treatment. Being as young as I was I feel asleep, and wasn¿¿t to wake up until the next day. As I walked downstairs to see my grandmother as she usually was, in her same old chair, watching Judge Judy, I quickly grabbed a marker to be the first one to sign the cast. After doing so I remember looking at her and she said, ¿¿I¿¿m so proud of you for what you did yesterday¿. As I shook it off as nothing, and replied with anyone could of done it. Not to long after that my grandmother moved out, and bounced around from nursing home to home, once she finally stuck with the same one for the last few years of her life. But the next time I heard the phrase ¿¿ I¿¿m so proud of you¿ was when I went to visit her at the end of summer after completing basic. As I walked into that nursing home, in uniform, not to long after the hug and the kiss did I hear ¿¿Michael I am so proud of you¿ and that¿¿s when I knew all the suffering I had gone through that summer was worth it, and the trail I was set on was the right one.

After this year of academic failure I look back and see a year filled with growing, from completing basic, to dealing with my first real loss. I see a stronger person when I look in the mirror. Although personal growth is important, it is not what earns you a degree, and in order to accomplish the goals I have set for myself, I need to remain studying at Queen¿¿s.

To achieve this I have embedded a new plan, first a switch of majors, one chose based on interest not of coercion. Geography will allow me to study our country, along with others, as well as the world. By doing so giving me more knowledge and understanding of the countries I have sworn to defend us from. By taking GEO 100 in the fall of next year, It will then be used as a prerequisite for the second year course available in the winter. I am currently enrolled in Fren 108 to try to bring my GPA to the required level, and am willing to spend my summers taking courses to lighten my course load in order to attain success. God forbid if more severe circumstances were to take place, I am now armed with a better understanding of death, and how to cope with it.

As mentioned before there are many skills needed to become and Officer In the Canadian Armed Forces, such as leadership, intelligence, selflessness, fairness, and, absolute responsibility. Yes I do accept absolute responsibility for what has occurred in the last year, although there is nothing I am capable of to prevent death, I am responsible for not asking for help earlier. In the future I will be mindful of that, and as soon as adversity arises I will work with whoever needed to grantee my success. So I ask for you to please allow me to return for another year to redeem myself at the academic level, and by doing so enabling a boy to live out his dreams of becoming a proud Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces.