Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,¿¿

I am writing this letter of appeal to drop 6 courses from the past two semesters including Fall 2020 and Winter 2021. These include: POLS 467 (Fall, 2020), ECON 112 (Winter, 2021), HIST 252 (Winter,2021), POLS 405 (Winter, 2021), POLS 385 (Winter, 2021) and POLS 461 (Winter, 2021) from the winter semester.¿¿

¿¿ I would like to drop the courses due to my ongoing medical disability, which began in October 2020, that has made it difficult to fulfil my academic obligations. I have been unwell, physically and mentally, which rendered me unfit to continue with my courses. These extenuating circumstances made it difficult to keep up with my academic obligations; I was experiencing pain and discomfort that hampered my ability to maintain focus in class and submit my assignments punctually. My medical disability began affecting me towards the end of October 2020, resulting in a missed assignment for POLS 467. The professor kindly gave me an extension till the end of the term however, given that there were only two assignments to be marked in that course (including a final paper at the end of the term), it became unfeasible to complete both. Additionally, my health progressively took a turn for the worst during the final months of the semester. I believed I could manage to complete POLS 467, using the extensions however my symptoms had not alleviated. It was during this time that I began seeing a health care professional and taking numerous medications, which I continue to use.

During Fall 2020, I was taking 5 courses and had fortunately managed to complete three of them, these courses were POLS 485, RELS 140 and FRST 106. I completed these courses as the assignments were spread out earlier in the semester, unlike POLS 467, which allowed me to finish the courses albeit with some extensions. I currently have an Incomplete grade at POLS 384 which will change once I submit the final assignment. I could not complete POLS 467 as the assignments occurred towards the end of the semester when my medical disability had significantly worsened. Additionally, I had missed many of the crucial three-hour lectures, when my symptoms worsened, which I would have used to work on my assignments. The physical pain I endured made it extremely difficult to complete¿¿ the weekly three hour lectures. In light of these circumstances, I am looking to complete POLS 384 and drop POLS 467 because I had completed more assignments (earlier in the semester) in the former and none in the latter, due to the timings in which the assignments were assigned.

I am also requesting to drop the courses I was enrolled in the Winter term including ECON 112, HIST 252, POLS 405, POLS 385 and POLS 461. My health situation had not improved during the majority of the Winter 2021 term as evidenced by my academic consideration which was extended late into February 2021. My symptoms did not subside, I was under constant discomfort and pain, rendering me unfit to participate in my lectures. Due to the nature of my medical disability, I was not in the right state of mind and experienced physical constraints that made it difficult to conduct any course work or obligations. I had not dropped them before the week 8 drop deadline as I was solely preoccupied with my health and as such missed the week 8 drop deadline.

Moving forward, the Queens Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) has provided me with accommodations to assist me with my future academic endeavours. My health has improved recently, amidst the use of medications, dietary restrictions and specific exercise techniques that help alleviate my symptoms. I aim to take a lighter course-load to ensure I can handle my future academic obligations efficiently whilst dealing with my on-going medical disability. I also am in contact with my health care provider to assist me, along with my QSAS advisor. Finally, I plan on retaking the aforementioned courses during Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 as most are required for my major. Thank you for your time.

Best wishes, Hisham Yusuf