Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am requesting an extension of the deadline to submit incomplete work in HLTH 305 and HLTH 493, both taken in Winter 2020. I understand I am significantly past the deadline to appeal, but considering the extenuating circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am hoping there is a chance my appeal will be considered. I have spoken to both of the instructors for HLTH 305 (Mary Rita Holland) and HLTH 493 (Stevenson Fergus), and they are willing to accept my incomplete work if this appeal is approved.

My extenuating circumstances with my family have severely affected my mental health and wellbeing. Coming from a low-income immigrant household, I have always been expected to work to help support my family and my long-distance studies here at Queen's. When the pandemic hit, the government relief offered could barely cover the expenses my large family of 7 has. I was forced to move to my family home and find a sublet for my Kingston housing to save money. I could not work an essential job (the only available jobs at the time) as my immunocompromised grandmother was also living in my family home. Over the course of the summer, more and more of my family and relatives oversees passed away from this awful disease. This series of events sent me into a whirlwind of emotions and I inevitably found a very dark place for myself during the entirety of the summer. I tried calling the free online mental health resources, but could not find peace in not having face-to-face conversation. I have never been able to afford mental health resources, and before the pandemic it was difficult to get an appointment at Queen's without a long wait-time (4-6 weeks last time I checked).

I could not think about school or any of my courses in any capacity until I was able to move back to Kingston in October 2020 when COVID cases had settled down and the Fall 2020 term was really kicked into full gear. My family was struggling with the stress of paying bills and watching out for their health. It created a toxic atmosphere in my family home, where I could not feel motivated or productive. My classmates convinced me that coming back to Kingston for the Fall to complete my degree would help me escape my family situation. They were correct -- I did very well this past Fall in my courses where I was able to focus. The stress of the missing work I still had to do for HLTH 305 and HLTH 493 was looming over me. By December after my Fall exams, I was again forced to go home because of the second wave of COVID cases. My family situation has slightly eased up as my parents are learning not to take their stress and anxiety out on me. We have had productive conversations to help me better thrive in the environment of my family home.

Coming from an immigrant household, the expectations for children to be exceptionally strong students are very high. In the Middle East, the whole concept of mental health is still taboo. My parents are still learning about why I cannot be the star student they expect of me who also works and volunteers. There is a lot of pressure on me to do well in school, it has become almost unbearable. I have always struggled to find a safe space mentally when it comes to my family and school. I am more than sure now that I can complete the missing work for both HLTH 305 and HLTH 493. It is important to note that I am in my fifth year of study in a BScH Kinesiology plan, and OSAP (nor my parents/family) will not support me for a sixth year of study. I cannot afford to stay away from home any longer than I already have.

In HLTH 305 I am missing one assignment and my final take-home exam, both of which were due in April. In HLTH 493, I am missing 50 of the work as most of it was due in March/April 2020 and that is when my mental health took a turn for the worst. I have all of the missing work from both classes already completed. I was unable to appeal by the deadline for both courses because of my mental health and the distraction of my family's stress. The simplest way to describe it is that I felt like I had so much to do with so many people counting on me, but no way to do it. It felt like a large boulder on my shoulders -- the stress/pressure of it all inhibited me from actually doing anything. I recognize that it is irresponsible to let stress pile up like this, and have taken steps to slowly reduce the weight I carry. Part of the reason why I could not complete this appeal until now is because of the shame/self-loathing I felt. These types of feelings in my culture are expected of you when you underperform academically. It has been a challenge to overcome these feelings enough to start this process. Doctor offices have been closed since March and only taking phone appointments. I have been managing my mental health and stress on my own for now. I do have plans to seek professional help once the campus resources open again. I will be submitting a letter from a family member in support of my appeal.

For the reasons outlined above, I hope my appeal to complete HLTH 305 and HLTH 493 are sincerely considered.

Kind Regards,

Geena Denno