Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Appeal
Kristen Stribopoulos

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for taking the time to review my appeal. I greatly appreciate the chance to explain the extenuating circumstances I went through that put a strain on my academics. Specifically, I am asking to receive a credit standing for the classes Pscy 221 and Psyc 202.

I was first referred to David Youssef upon requesting a spot in Psyc 221-700, which I wanted to retake to improve my grade. In my initial email, I explained how I was not able to perform at the best of my abilities due to extenuating circumstances, and I wanted to retake the course for my grade to be truly indicative of my abilities. He then suggested I appeal my grade. David explained to me the appeal process is typically limited to twenty-one days after receiving the grade. However, I was not aware of the opportunity to appeal or grade, nor was I aware that there was anyone to turn to for help until I spoke to David. I believed that no exceptions could be made for a final grade, no matter what the circumstance was. After David explained the process to me, I was quick to get to action and form the appeal with the references I needed to prove to you why the grades I received for Psyc 221 and 202 are not indicative of my true capabilities.

During my second year at Queen¿¿s, I became involved in a romantic relationship with a man who repeatedly manipulated and verbally and emotionally abused me. During our relationship, which began in the fall semester and ended in the summer, not only did I develop major depressive disorder, I also engaged in self harm and made attempts on my life. Furthermore, I experienced extreme anxiety. These mental health issues made it extremely difficult for me to keep up with a full course load of classes, despite my efforts to continue working my hardest. I would constantly stay indoors as I truly believed that I was worthless from being brainwashed into believing that there was something wrong with me that made me deserve the treatment from this man. I disengaged myself socially and often made trips to my home in Toronto in hopes of hiding from the trauma. However, until I cut ties with him, the trauma continued.

I have attached a letter from my family doctor documenting by diagnosis and symptoms. In addition, you will coon be in receipt of a letter from the counselor I spoke to at Queen¿¿s. I have left a message for the psychologist, Dr. Shannon Robinson (associated with 'Vaughan Psychologists'), who I began seeing at home in May, asking for a brief letter documenting the mistreatment I faced from my partner, including documenting incidences of abuse that were discussed in our sessions. I have not heard back from her yet, however, if further documentation is required, I can forward her letter to the board for your review. If requested, I am also prepared to present screenshots of text massages documenting my mistreatment and can have friends and family of mine document examples of what I endured. Please feel free to call my family doctor, Dr. Ashnoor Talib, or contacting Dr. Shannon Robinson, should you wish to further discuss my issues.

The two marks that I am asking to be appealed are not indicative of my capabilities by any means. Looking at my transcript, it is evident that I am a hardworking student who does fairly well. Furthermore, I never gave up on school, and kept working as hard as I could. Even while in Psyc 202, after receiving a poor grade on my midterm, I began meeting with a tutor and received a grade on my final 40 higher than that of my midterm. Despite my symptoms beginning to develop in the fall semester, I still tried my hardest to keep up with school and reach out for extra academic help. After officially being diagnosed in the winter semester and beginning treatment, my grades drastically improved when I returned to school for my third year. Take for example, my jump from a D in my second year statistics class to a B- in my third year statistics class, which I took after a summer of relieving myself of my partner and receiving multiple therapy sessions a week that continued at Queen¿¿s when I returned in September. In addition, I finally broke away from the stigma and began taking medication for my depression and anxiety, which has helped me cope. While I was still suffering upon returning, I was making incredible improvements thanks to the help I received, which was reflected in numerous ways, including my great improvements in my grades during my third year of studies.

I hope that you can try to understand the extenuating circumstances that I was under that made it extremely difficult for me to carry out a normal life. More so, I hope that you can see how hard I was trying to make improvements, not just during my second year of studies, but in my following two years. The grades I received in Psyc 221 and 202 are not at all indicative of my capabilities. I am a hard working, dedicated student who takes my education very seriously and has worked hard these past four years despite the traumatizing, extremely difficult circumstances I was involved in.

Again, I would like to thank you for taking the time to review my appeal. Please let me know if you need further documentation or have any questions, which I would be happy to help you with. I look forward to hearing from you.