Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello,
My name is William Melanson-O'Neill and I am a 3rd year student in the faculty of Arts and Science. My student number is 20027959.

I am appealing to drop fall semester (2020) courses after the deadline.

In late summer of 2020, my father suffered an accident and was sent to Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre to undergo organ donation prior to his expected passing. The surgeon discovered that there was a chance for my father to survive, and performed a lifesaving procedure on my father's brain. Following this, he remained in Miramichi Regional Hospital until October 9th 2020.

Following my father's accident, I became very ill and was admitted to the Miramichi Regional Hospital from the 1st of September until the 8th of September. I am now under the care of Dr. Kahn and am adjusting to newly prescribed psychiatric medication. I have attached a letter from him as professional documentation.

My father is at home and requires constant assistance with day-to-day activities due to the physical and cognitive impairments brought forth by his accident. With my mother now the only working member of the household, I have been at home taking care of him. Due to the level of attentiveness and care required by my father, in addition to the workload brought fourth by caring for my own health, I have not been able to complete school work. Our family has made arrangements for him to be cared for from December onward, which will allow me to resume by studies at Queen's. I have also had significant success with dealing with my own health and have spoken to Dr. Kahn about returning to studies.

I am seeking to drop my courses so as to minimize the impact that this accident has had on my GPA, and to allow me to make up for these courses in the coming semesters.

If there is any additional documentation that I can provide, particularly in regards to my father's very unique situation, I will be more than happy to gather it.

Thank-you very much,

William