Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

Due to extenuating circumstances, I am submitting this appeal with the intention of dropping GNDS380 from my transcript; with the support of my doctor, my counsellor and the professor of the course. Additionally, I am hoping to utilize the Pass/Fail option that was granted due to the sudden changes during this year's winter semester for my LLCU111 course. I have discussed this extensively with Jade Kaloudas (the Student Resource Assistant), as well as the professor of this course.

As I'm sure is the case for many students, the 2020 was filled with many unexpected challenges. This pandemic has been particularly serious for me, as was living in Madrid, Spain and contracted COVID-19 myself. I was eventually able to fly to Canada on an emergency flight, but this left me to readjust to life back in Canada while the circumstances continued to worsen. This was all happening during the Winter 2020 semester, hence my delayed request for a P grade for LLCU111. Regardless, I tried to continue my courses through Queen's and adjust the best ways I knew how. I struggled to find a safe place to live, as well as a stable source of income during this unprecedented time. Since I was not working in Canada for the last number of years, my options for government support were extremely limited, however I eventually found full-time work in the emergency department of KGH, and found a safe place to live for the rest of the semester. This extreme stress, chaos and uncertainty exacerbated my pre-existing of a medical conditions and I fluctuated between being moderate¿¿acute illness for the majority of the semester. During this time, my professors were extremely understanding, helpful, and accommodating, which allowed me to focus on my health in a way that I otherwise would not have been able to. However, it is too late into the semester for me to realistically complete and submit my unfinished assignments for GNDS380, so Dr.McKittrick has suggested that I submit this appeal and offered me her support through this process.


I will be altering my Winter 2021 schedule to reflect my needs during this time. I look forward to moving into next semester with a more steady foundation beneath me, and the support of my care-team here in Canada.


I thank you in advance for your consideration, and hope that you have managed to stay safe, healthy and reasonably happy during this time.

Most sincerely,
Francesca Amarante
20002515