Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to you to consider my application to late drop my ECON 222 Macroeconomic Theory (Fall 2019) course so that I can re-take ECON 222 during my 2020 academic year. My application for this request is based on extenuating health circumstances that have and will continue to impact my performance during this term.

Up until October 15, 2019, I had completed 1 assignment and 2 quizzes for which I received an average mark of 87 (unweighted). Over Thanksgiving break, I began experiencing moderate pain from a wisdom tooth. Over the course of a few days, the pain began getting excruciating to the point of not being able to sleep, eat, or focus. I tried working through it by taking Tylenol and applying a benzocaine (freezing) gel but during this timeframe, the pain prevented me from sleeping properly. This sleep deprivation and the constant pain I was experiencing made it nearly impossible to concentrate and to study the course material. When I realized the impact my tooth was having on my school work, I arranged to see a dentist in Kingston.

I wrote my midterm the Tuesday (October 15th) we returned after a long weekend of no sleep and constant pain. Having not been able to focus during class or study effectively, I was far from properly prepared to write the ECON 222 midterm exam. The dental visit was directly after my midterm where the dentist concluded I had a bad tooth infection that required treatment. Knowing I had not done well on the midterm as a result of my health situation, I reached out to my Professor to ask for an accommodation. As a result of this effort, my professor kindly offered to lower the weighting of my midterm and increase the weighting of my final exam. I greatly appreciated this offer. And after very careful consideration, I chose not to accept this generous offer. I was concerned about putting too much weight on one exam.

Unfortunately on November 28th, I was accidentally forcefully struck in the back of my head by an elbow. Two years ago, while playing High School rugby, I sustained a head trauma that resulted in a serious concussion. It took almost seven months to recover to the point where I felt I could function similarly to where I was prior to the concussion, although I still experience lingering effects periodically. Because I had so recently suffered a concussion, I knew right away on the night of November 28th I had sustained another setback. Immediately after, the onset of symptoms set in. For the Friday-Sunday, I was very focused on resting, not looking at my screen or attempting to read to try and alleviate the headaches and nausea, which therefore held me back from completing my ECON 222 Assignment that was due on Tuesday, December 3rd.

On Friday, November 29th I knew that completing the ECON assignment would be impossible, but more importantly, I realized my final exams on December 9th and 10th were in serious jeopardy. I reached out to my parents to let them know what happened and, after making a family decision, I left Kingston by train on Friday, November 29th to return home to Toronto. On Saturday morning we went to a local walk-in clinic for an assessment. After a series of tests, the walk-in clinic doctor determined I had a concussion. As a result, we booked an appointment with my family physician for Monday, December 2nd. Dr. Brunt, my doctor since birth, had diagnosed and treated my first concussion. Again after a series of tests, Dr. Brunt concluded I had sustained a second concussion. During this consultation, Dr. Brunt completed the QSAS Extenuating Circumstances Form (6-page document). Her assessment was that I would not be able to write my December final exams, and suggested a mid to late January timeframe might be possible.

Because of my concussion, I believe my health issues have hindered my ability to fully learn and comprehend all of the class material. This causes me additional concern about my ability to successfully complete ECON 222 this term. Because ECON 222 Macroeconomic Theory is so core to my future academic pursuits at Queens, as well as my post-graduate career aspirations, I am requesting, with all due respect to the process, to late drop ECON 222 and retake this course during my 2020 academic year. I am available to discuss my application at any time that is convenient for the Decision Board, as well as provide any additional documentation you may require to assist you during your decision-making process.

Thank you in advance for considering my application.