Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

My name is Rachel Miller and I am a student currently enrolled in BCHM218 (Summer, 2020) at Queen's University. I would like to drop the course, the only one I am currently taking this semester, due to some extenuating circumstances that have affected me for the past month.

Three people who were close to me died, and they either passed away or I heard about their deaths after the drop date without academic penalty (July 3, 2020). My mentor for over a decade, Robert Wheeler, was the first one to pass away on June 30, 2020. He was the person who believed in me when no one else did and was committed to my success in my academics and chess career. My best friend, Della-Marie Wallcott, was then taken away on July 12, 2020. As we knew each other from childhood, she was one of the few people who truly understood me and accepted me for who I was. Sadly afterwards, on July 15, 2020 one of my good friends at Queen¿¿s, Ilse Loomer-Scott, also died. She was one of the kindest people I have ever met and was a dear friend to me and my other loved ones at Queen¿¿s.

After each death, the shock left me feeling numb and I thought I could handle any pain that came my way in the future. However, after a while, around July 27, I started to come to terms with all of the special bonds that I lost. When I was not thinking about Robert I was thinking about Della, and when I was not thinking about the both of them, I was thinking about Ilse. Who would I go to when I hit a hurdle, or when I needed someone to talk to Now I try to cope with the emptiness in my life by sleeping all day. When I am awake, I often cry. I struggle to get out of bed to eat, to dress, and to even walk. As well, I feel guilty for being alive at all.

Outside of struggling with my basic needs, I began to lose myself by doing actions that were outside of my character. I started to not hand in assignments, skip quizzes, not check emails, or even go on OnQ. Since the start of my third year at Queen¿¿s I had issues with my health as I was suffering from undiagnosed Hashimoto¿¿s disease, which caused symptoms of extreme fatigue and depression. I started getting treatment in March 2020 and had energy again and hope for the world by May 2020. However, this brief window of happiness all went away when my loved ones died.

I am asking to drop the course instead of deferring the exam or submitting work late as I have no idea when I am going to gain closure. In my current state, I believe that even if I was given extensions, I would still not be able to complete the work. After dropping, I plan to take the time between August and September away from academics to try and refocus my habits and climb back out of my depression. I also plan to get in touch with a counsellor about my grief and take the course again next summer.

In combination with these troubling times, the grief that I carry has proved to be too much for me to keep up with my academics, and I currently do not wish to complete the course.

I ask that you please take my request into consideration. Thank you for your time.

Best,
Rachel Miller
20073654