Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am writing to you to request to be enrolled in CISC 352 (Artificial Intelligence) past the add date.

In response to Ontario¿¿s second state of emergency beginning on January 14th, 2021, I decided to return home. I have struggled considerably with my mental health since July 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. After spending the fall semester in Kingston, I realized I wouldn¿¿t be able to spend the winter semester during the state of emergency in Kingston, especially considering my two housemates were no longer present and I was left entirely alone in my apartment. Consequently, I made the decision to pack up my entire life in Kingston and endure the 32 hour trip back home during the week of January 18th-January 25th, 2021. As a result of the additional stress of moving and traveling during the pandemic, I missed the course add deadline by three days. Once I realized I missed the deadline, I immediately contacted Professor Muise (CISC 352 instructor) and Professor Dingel (the Computing undergraduate chair) to request permission to enroll.

This is my last semester at Queen¿¿s. I realized I strongly regret not taking Artificial Intelligence. I believe my academic record (cumulative GPA 4.25) demonstrates that I have the appropriate academic skills to catch up in the two weeks I¿¿ve missed. Also, I¿¿m only enrolled in two classes which means I have significantly more time to devote to this class. Furthermore, in summer 2020 I worked at Google as a software engineering intern on their Cloud AI team therefore I am already familiar with some of the course material.

I am feeling more mentally stable since returning home. Professor Muise gave me access to the CISC 352 course on January 26th and I intend to learn the two weeks of material I missed in the next couple of days. I will participate in the course as if I were officially enrolled until the decision regarding my appeal is made.

I hope that my appeal will be granted and I will be allowed to enroll in CISC 352.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Danielle Mott