Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing this with the intention of resubmitting and further clarifying my previous appeal for Credit standing, sent in September of 2020. I have provided supporting documentation pertaining to my extenuating circumstance, regarding the passing of my aunt in December 2019.

I had mentioned in my previous submission that I was greatly impacted by the loss of my aunt, so much so that it felt very difficult to continue with my daily tasks and work. Since then my mental health had plummeted. Upon completion of my first academic year, I entered a very dark space. I am not comfortable in going into much detail. This, in turn, caused my family to make the decision for me to take a year off school.

I do realize that my appeal was more directed towards my Winter Term of 2020, rather than my present circumstances, however, I thought that my current state would further indicate how negative my mental health was in the Winter of 2020.

I also wanted to clarify that it was following my Calculus Midterm, in December of 2019, that my aunt passed away, not the Final examination. Therefore, my Fall semester was not as greatly impacted. It was my Winter semester that my academic performance diminished significantly. As I had mentioned in my previous appeal, MATH 121 was very overwhelming. All lectures took place online, with no live lectures, excluding our lectures to go over some practice problems. Therefore, the majority of the curriculum was self-taught and independent. All my other courses were interactive since the lectures were done in-person. I found MATH 121 to be a very individualized course, with little to no support. Additionally, in the Winter semester, our professor did not make the lecture for 'problem solving and homework help' mandatory, and the classes seemed to serve no real purpose since only a handful of questions were taken up. I also attempted to attend Math help sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays but they were to no avail. The classroom was often empty, with no TA to assist; and when there was a TA, they were often just as confused as I was.

In regards to my other course, I really did try to persevere and weather the storm. Although I found it extremely difficult to even complete school work, the professors and TA's that I had made the process so much smoother. They also ensured that we were more than prepared for any assignments or evaluations we had, which I deeply appreciated.

Overall, my academic experience at Queen's was quite positive. The only reason the word quite was added to that previous sentence was due to my MATH 121 class. As a person with sinking mental health, I was not motivated by my hours of lecture videos, nor was I finding the help I so needed, even though I sought it.

In regards to my lack of documentation causing me to miss my deadlines for support due to the pandemic, all I can say is that I did not seek support from a psychologist since I did not feel that would improve my condition. Not only did I not appreciate the idea of speaking to someone virtually, but I did not feel that talking about my loss would change anything. Losses can have deep effects on the mind and the body, but honestly speaking, they will always leave a void that cannot be filled. Time does heal, but that place you have for that person will always remain, whether it be fulfilled or empty. It is theirs and theirs alone.

I have included an obituary for my aunt in the following page. I hope you are able to reconsider my Credit Standing. This is a matter of principle; I would not like for my academic history to paint an incorrect, unjustified picture. It should reflect my true academic performance, which is not demonstrated by my current mark in MATH 121.