Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Queen¿¿s Letter of Appeal
Full Name: John Douglas Breault

Student ID: 10056217

Faculty: Arts and Science

Year: 1st Year

Appealing Course: RELS 131 World Religions - Religious Worlds CDS FW16-17


Hello staff at Queen¿¿s University.
My name is John Breault, a returning first year student at Queen¿¿s University.
I would like to make a formal request to withdraw from a two-term online course which I am currently enrolled in.

The reason I¿¿m making this appeal is rather complicated and multi-layered, though I¿¿ll do my best to explain.
Starting from the beginning of this year in September, I¿¿ve been dealing with a large array of personal/ medical issues that have been plaguing my school work.
In the beginning, last semester, my problems were primarily dealing with loneliness and depression, as well as having no way to cope with these issues. To make matters worse, my primary source of comfort, my Uncle, had a major brain injury, leaving me extremely anxious and alone.

Because of an already existing history with alcohol abuse, I turned to drinking in order to escape the misery that was my life.
Although I was able to make it through the first semester, the issues largely continued and even worsened in regards to the drinking.

Throughout the months of this semester, I¿¿ve been in and out of the hospital numerous times due to problems arising from my drinking, and from simply being suicidal.
Because of this, I really haven¿¿t been able to focus or look towards my school work at all.
If you were to examine my on-Q profile, you¿¿d be able to see that I haven¿¿t handed in a shred of work, and this also includes my readings for the course. I honestly haven¿¿t even picked up the course text book due to a combination of not being at home, and when I¿¿m at home, drinking and being too anxious to consider school at all.

I¿¿m aware it¿¿s probably too late to recover a lot of the funding that went towards the course, I was wondering if there was any way I could appeal to you to allow me to withdraw from the course at this current point in time without academic penalty, and if there was any way I could recover any of the money that would have been spent on the course.

For both reasons, I¿¿m making the appeal on the basis that I couldn¿¿t withdraw from the course sooner due to just not focused on school at all, and being away from any way to access the course material in the first place (provided my mind-set would allow it).

I¿¿m aware this is a very¿bold request, especially considering my unhealthy history at Queens.
But for my part, I can promise that I am getting the help needed through multiple counselling services and self-help, family-help, and addiction programs.
In the end, I¿¿m happy that I¿¿ve been blessed by people reaching out to help me, but I really hope that after reading what I¿¿ve written here, you¿¿d be able to accommodate in some way.
I can¿¿t help but feel that I¿¿d have failed both myself and my family (who is funding my education), if I wasn¿¿t able to salvage at least something, both financially and academically, regarding this course in both terms.

I¿¿m uncertain as to where I hand in my supporting documentation.

But I do have documentation from a family doctor and family members backing up my claims of my health issues.