Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello, my name is Cole Roe. I am writing this appeal to waive the academic deadline, in order to waive the requirement to withdraw for one year. I am doing this because I truly feel that I have changed as a student, and that I have coordinated a plan to improve drastically in the future, given an additional chance to prove myself.

¿¿¿¿ To begin with, I was unaware that the deadline to appeal was in early June, and had found out about it when I sought academic advisement with Karen Scanlan, on June 25th, 2019. I had been aware that I was required to drop out for a year, as I had checked my grades on SOLUS, and had seen the updated status of my academic performance long before the email had been sent to me. When it had, I had already been working on my appeal, I just could not find the due date online. Since then, I have been balancing three summer courses, a demanding job, and additional personal commitments, which have otherwise taken up a great deal of my time. To provide appropriate context to my appeal, throughout my university experience, I have been deeply challenged by numerous encounters with depression and performance anxiety, and it has taken quite a toll on my academics, as well as my social and professional sphere. I sought counselling at Queen¿¿s in my second year, to no avail. It was an incredibly invalidating experience, and as a direct consequence, I have felt like I could not turn to the university for help. Additionally, the only psychiatrist I have felt safe speaking to, Dr. Caldwell, lives in my hometown of Chatham, Ontario, and I have not had the time to see him this year, as I was trying my best to balance my course load. Considering this, I have had very little support. However, I have had the fortune of being introduced to Kate Johnson, the University Chaplain, by Professor Tracy Trothen, in early April. I have been told that she can help me navigate through the university¿¿s health resources to find the right fit for me.

¿¿¿¿ As far as my academic plans for the future go, I have decided that, given the chance to return in the fall, I will invest in online courses, giving me more time off-campus to manage my course load. I only require three more units of Philosophy to complete my degree, as well as additional courses that I can easily take both online and on campus. As previously stated, I have spoken to Karen Scanlan in Student Services, and remain in contact with her, in an effort to coordinate my future course loads, and my eventual graduation. Utilizing these resources, I know that I can succeed in my studies, if given the chance to return in Fall 2019.