Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Jenn Stephenson

I am appealing to drop ECON 212 (Fall, 2018) and MATH 121 (Fall, 2018). Due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control, these circumstances have hindered my capability of developing a full understanding of the material and dedicating the attention needed to succeed in the courses.

The following few weeks leading up to the start of my first term at Queens University my mother, who has had Parkinson¿¿s for the past 15 years slipped into a manic episode for the second time in the past five years. The first when I was a pre-teen, and the most recent time as I was preparing to leave to school this summer. The most recent manic episode resulted in destructive and damaging behaviors on my mother¿¿s part. These behaviors included: driving while intoxicated, infidelity, leaving for extended periods of time, and crashing her car. Her destructive behaviors lead up to her leaving her phone, wallet, and all other means of communication hidden at home, and leaving for close to 24 hours with zero contact. This prompted my family and I to file a missing person report with the Lost Hills Sheriff¿¿s Department. She was found roughly 10 hours after intoxicated, after a minor collision which rendered her car inoperable. Just a few days after the missing persons report was filed, I left for school.

The stress and trauma created by not being able to be process, and fully accept the behaviors and actions of my mother hurt my academic performance. I was incapable of balancing all my courses, specifically the two most time intensive in my schedule, MATH 121 and ECON 212 due to me loosing sleep, and the time which I needed to dedicate to studying. I had to prioritize the remaining three courses in my schedule, ECON 222, COMM 211, and GEOL 107 to finish on good academic standing. Additionally, this being my first year in University after transferring from Moorpark College in the United States, I had to acquaint myself with the study habits, time management, and responsibilities with living by myself for the first time.

As mentioned earlier due to the traumatic nature of this experience I have been distracted from doing my best in all my courses, which is reflected in all my examination grades. ECON 212 (Fall 2018) and MATH 121 (Fall 2018) were the most hindered due to the level of attention and time dedicated required which I could not provide due to being mentally preoccupied with the circumstances as mentioned above.

Thank you for your consideration,

Joshua Reisbord
Student 20135364