Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Studies,

My name is Marc Etienne Montminy, I am writing this appeal to request that several of my courses be dropped post drop deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Nearing the end of first semester, my displeasment in school, dyslexia, and lack of success compared to my siblings started to make me feel embarrassed and worthless. Because of these feelings I began shutting myself out from others and hiding in my room, avoiding any calls from family. I began writing all of my feelings on little notes and putting them in my sock drawer, doing this helped me through exams.
I have severe Hemophilia, and just before returning to school in the winter I developed a bleed in my foot that prevented me from walking. Because of the bleed in my foot I was on crutches, but with the ice and snow I couldn¿¿t walk to attend classes, labs or even to go get food, go to the gym or continue doing yoga. I was trapped in the four walls of my room. My thoughts of embarrassment and failure began to fester. It was almost 1 month into school when I could properly walk again. I was so behind in my classes I just felt worthless, my body was breaking and my mind was starting to as well. In the following months I forced myself to work harder, but I couldn¿¿t. My mind just wouldn¿¿t process information, I could read and feel as though I learned nothing, the simplest of tasks were very difficult. In the following months of school there were many mornings and nights I spent in a curled up in a ball on the ground with a knife in my hands crying myself to sleep.I tried so hard to feel better, but I made a mistake, I tried to do it alone. I was so ashamed about what I was feeling I didn¿¿t want anyone to know, not my parents, my brother, my closest friend, I was even too embarrassed to seek professional help.
My mental health and physical health began to play off each other, I was so weak mentally I started getting very sick. I visited the emergency room at Kingston General Hospital on several occasions. My ears and eyes got infected causing a loss in hearing and vision, my kidneys bled internally on multiple occasions. The more I hurt the more my mind shut down, the more I gave up on life. This year my ability to learn was hindered and my grades reflect that, but I don¿¿t believe they reflect the learning I am truly capable of. I am taking steps to heal, I throughout all my post-it notes to help me feel free. I talk about it with my parents and they are giving me more support than I could have ever imagined. I will be meeting with a professional as soon as I can. I may take a year off to allow me to grow and mature before I return to school. So I am asking you to give me the honor of a fresh start with clean mind and soul, whether it may be at Queen¿¿s or any other school. Thank you very much for reading this, I hope you thoroughly consider my request.