Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

It is with deep regret that I have not written this letter sooner, as it has been very difficult to put into writing what I have faced in recent years.

I intend to appeal my 0 credits achieved during the 2015/2016 academic year due to the extenuating circumstances I will address below.

2-3 weeks into my first semester at university (Fall 2015), and days before my eighteenth birthday I was the victim of a severe sexual assault which occurred in my residence. The perpetrator also lived in this residence building. I felt nervous, completely disgusted, and unsafe, but did not yet have any stable relationships with friends at the university that I felt I could turn to for help. This incident worsened for me when I went to class and realized that this person was in the same small lecture as me. I stopped going to all classes, and stayed in my room fearing that I would encounter this individual again and as a result fell greatly behind in all of my courses.

Around Christmas 2015 tension in my home life increased. When I went home for the winter break my parents announced to the family that they would be separating indefinitely. This was a complete shock to me because when I would speak to my parents on the phone they had acted like everything was normal. I found out from my sister that they did not want to tell me since they did not want this to impact my academic performance as everyone had such high expectations of me. Seeing the stress and sadness my parents were experiencing, I felt like I couldn¿¿t tell them about what had happened to me and what my academic standing was. I had disappointed myself and did not want them to worry about me with all that they were going through. I dreaded my return to school for second semester and although I had made some friends, I still felt alone. I continued to stay in my room and withdraw from all aspects of university life from athletics, to social events, and most importantly from attending class. As a result, I attained 0 credits and was required to withdraw from my studies here at queens for one year.

Upon my return to Queens (Fall 2017) I was eager and motivated to have a successful return to studies. My first few weeks back went better than I could have hoped. I was going to all of my classes and was on top of my work and doing well. I had a run in with the same individual who had assaulted me in first year and although we didn¿¿t speak a friend noticed the tension and walked with me home. This person told me that they live with said individual and as it turns out I now walk past their house on a daily basis. I felt myself start to fall into the same cycle as I had in 2015. I started falling behind but this time I have reached out for professional support on campus (Barb Lotan and my counsellor Deb) and though I have not had the comeback I was expecting, I am determined to not let my past experiences define my entire career here at Queens.

Sincerely,
Hannah J. Scott