Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Worthy Associate Dean,

My name is Bryn Burbank and I am a third year mathematics student here at Queen¿¿s University. The appeal I am writing to you today is regarding the late dropping of four courses that I took, and did not pass during the winter and summer semesters of 2017. The courses in question are MATH 281 ¿¿ Introduction to Real Analysis, PSYC 215 ¿¿ Sensation and Perception, ASTR 101 ¿¿ Astronomy I and PHYS 118 ¿¿ Basic Physics.

The reason, that I believe to be sufficient enough to have these four courses dropped and removed from my transcript, is that during the entirety of the 2017 winter and summer I was concussed, or recovering from a concussion. I will explain the circumstances that lead to these injuries, and the effects that were felt.

In early November 2016 I had the misfortune of attaining my first concussion, which was the result of 2 different blows taken to the back of my head. I had this concussion diagnosed through the student wellness centre, and so the doctor¿¿s diagnostic notes are available, and will be attached as supporting documentation. This being my first concussion I did not fully grasp the severity that they presented, nor did I understand how long a recovery period came with a brain related injury. Sadly, at the end of the winter semester, on April 25th I suffered another serious concussion walking quickly through a doorway. This time I was knocked completely unconscious and have very little memory of the days that followed. This meant that I had to miss my final exam, which was deferred and which I wrote in early September.

My concussions affected my ability to focus in my lectures, they affected my ability to study and memorize necessary materials, and also affected my motivation levels. Worst of all my concussions affected my emotions drastically, and I found myself depressed most days, with thoughts of self harm and self hatred. This made it incredibly difficult to apply myself and focus on my academics in general.

After speaking with doctor through the Queen¿¿s wellness services this fall I finally became aware of just how serious the injury was. I now understand that even today I am still recovering from these injuries, as I still experience intense migraines, difficulty focusing and issues regarding memory. I am using all the resources at my disposal to improve upon my memory and have been trying new concussion based studying regiments to ensure that I do not encounter a similar problem this semester. I am hoping that the worst of these injuries is behind me and I am doing everything in my power to ensure that I do not suffer any further head trauma. I simply want to put this whole episode behind me, and I hope to make that possible by dropping these classes so that I do not have to continue to feel the effects of these injuries as far as academic standing.

I appreciate your time greatly, and I hope that I have explained my case sufficiently. Best regards,

Bryn Burbank