Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing this letter to appeal the one-term deadline to apply for Credit Standing for an Arts and Science course. I was suffering from the loss of a close family member, which not only affected my course performance but also my ability to appropriately handle my academic difficulties. I was extremely distracted and grieving, which prevented me from thinking of anything else but the loss of my grandfather, my academics included. I only now, after months of counselling, have the mental clarity to revisit this troubling topic and submit my application for an appeal. After pursuing counselling and taking time to reflect, I am now ready to make a step in the right direction and apply for an appeal.

In January 2016, my grandfather was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and was given four months to live. Growing up, my father was not much of a presence in my life, so my grandfather willingly and lovingly filled the role. We were extremely close, and learning that he would very soon be leaving me was a realization that I could not bear. As a student who has suffered with health anxiety in the pass, watching someone so close to me be diagnosed with terminal cancer after heading to the doctor with a stomachache was my own worst nightmare, and only fuelled my personal anxiety. I was dealing with crippling anxiety while also mourning the illness of someone I loved. Naturally, I had a very difficult time feeling motivated to continue to dedicate the time necessary to my studies to succeed, and was often distracted or depressed, unable to attend my classes and concentrate on my assignments. I sought out help from HCDS, where my counsellor recommended assignment extensions or a reduced course load in order to allow me some time to go visit my grandfather and help out, or dedicate time to cope with my own anxiety and my grandfather¿¿s diagnosis. By February 2016, my grandfather was extremely ill, and February 2016 and April 2016, I travelled from Queen¿¿s to London three times, for up to a week each time. The travel combined with the emotional strain of the situation was extremely distracting and time consuming, and greatly affected my ability to perform and focus on my academics and my life at Queen¿¿s; but I battled through and finished my second year with decently strong marks and wrote all of my exams without deferral. When my grandfather was transferred to hospice in June 2016, I was once again completely overwhelmed and distressed. My mother, who was my only real support system, made the move out to London, Ontario to assist my grandmother and be with my grandfather for his remaining time. I was very much alone and heartbroken. My grandfather passed away at the end of July 2016, just as I was preparing to come back to Queen¿¿s. In recent months I have take the time to deal with the loss of my grandfather appropriately, and feel ready to continue on with my studies here at Queen¿¿s. However, when I first returned to school, I was distracted and grieving. I performed poorly in a summer course as well as one fall term course, as I was unable to handle my anxiety, grief and academics. I believe that I should be able to apply for Credit Standing for these courses, as I was able to complete both course, but not perform to my full potential. I was unable to properly care for myself for months following my grandfather's death, or focus on anything but my grief and anxiety, my schoolwork included. My academic performance was severely impacted by a situation that was completely out of my control, and I only now have the mental clarity to revisit this troubling topic and submit my application for an appeal. For this reason, I believe that the one term deadline should be waived for my Credit Standing Application. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Emily Whyte
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