Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Jenn Stephenson,
I am appealing to receive credit standing for ANAT 315 (Fall 2018) course as well as KNPE 225 (Fall 2018) course and KNPE 251 (Fall 2018).
The extenuating circumstance which has affected my academic performance is my step-brother, Dylan Fournier, recent diagnosis with cancer. Initially diagnosed in first semester of my first year, we went through surgery in December 2017 and then through his first rounds of chemo starting shortly after. In September of 2018, we received updated scans and the cancer had spread. Dylan was refusing treatment which was hard on my family and I due to the fact that he was not given a large time span before death. I believe that these circumstances have greatly impacted my grades due to the fact of missing classes, as well as being apart from my brother and family in their times of need was a weight, I was having trouble carrying. As I am paying for my university degree and living accommodations alone, I was only able to be home once last semester to see my brother. Being away from my brother and family again does not allow me to release the guilt I feel from being away from them in times of stress. In addition, my family depended on my brother to help pay for expenses and once his cancer spread, he was no longer able to work and support the family. This burden fell onto my sister and I. Completing a university degree is not very accommodating when working three to five times a week to help support myself and my family, leaving little time to study and stay on top of school. Furthermore, transit home is upwards of two hundred dollars round trip, I did not have the luxury of attending to my family's needs which applied for guilt to my situation, again being more than I could bear.
I believe that I did not do poorly in one class due to the fact of the structure of the class. It contained more group projects and less test and midterms which allowed me to lean on other for help through the class. KNPE 225, KNPE 251, and ANAT 315 had consecutive tests, midterms, and lab exams that I truly was not prepared for and could not bear under the pressures of being away from my family during these troubling times. These circumstances I was in allowed my focus to deviate away from my studies and focus on my family which consequently made my academic performance become poor.
My future plan includes continuing seeking help through Queen's student wellness, as well as through grief services through the Faith and Spiritually staff on a regular basis. In addition, I believe keeping my course load decreased (four classes compared to five) will be beneficial to my academic goals in my second year of studies to focus my attention on less classes as well as balance my finances.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Kind Regards,
Delaney Clarke