Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of Studies,

The letter I am writing is to formally request an appeal for the requirement to withdraw from Queen's University for a minimum of the next three years. I also request to appeal the failure of the following courses: BCHM218, DEVS100, ENIN301. The justification to appeal these above courses is on the grounds of the certain experiences I have encountered during my times at Queen's which were beyond my control.
Beginning third year, I had the drive to address my mental health and to do my best of my abilities. Following through with my academic plan allowed me to have my best year academically, even though coronavirus had an effect in the winter semester. Starting July 2020, I had also reached out to my counsellor Dr. Arunima Khan to help me manage my panic attacks and growing anxiety which were becoming worse due to the pandemic.
Starting August 2020, I was forced to move back in with my family in Toronto due to financial difficulties arising from the effects of coronavirus. Because of the significance of having a secure and high-status profession in my culture, my parents forced me to retake science courses that were deemed medical prerequisites, which was BCHM218 in the fall. Their decisions caused much tension between my family and I, as I tried to make them realize I need to make my own decisions. Moving back with my family proved to further worsen my anxiety and panic attacks as they only ever talked to me if it was pertinent to BCHM218. I knew I had to reach out for help and contacted Dr. Arunima Khan to help me deal with my issues at home, however none of the advice given to me helped to deal with the stress and verbal abuse from my parents. During October 2020, after not gaining any results from therapy and the constant pressure of my parents consistently watching me at home, I was severely discouraged. This led to my anxiety attacks being very frequent during important academic dates for BCHM218, such as tests and exams. Severe anxiety attacks made it difficult for me to keep up with lectures, which clearly was reflected in my grade for BCHM218. I had dedicated an equal amount to BIOL350 and COMM231, which were equally difficult courses, however the material covered in BIOL350 was similar to all the other BIOL courses I have previously taken and for COMM231, I was well versed in marketing due to helping my father with his company. Due to this, passable grades were possible in those classes. DEVS100 was a heavy course as well, however since it was a full year course, I believed that I could do better in the winter semester to help boost my grade.
Returning from the winter break, I stopped seeing my therapist but returned with a strong frame of mind knowing that I took courses I believed I would be strong in. This worked well for me, until February 9th 2021, I had gotten a call that my boyfriend had suddenly passed away in a shooting the night before. I had a date with my boyfriend on that same night, making me one of the last people to see him alive. My boyfriend was a recent university graduate from the University of Toronto and was two years older than me, and we had been dating for almost a year, he had his whole life ahead of him. This was a tragedy I could have never expected, and while living at home where my parents did not know about my boyfriend due to cultural reasons, grieving the loss of someone I loved so deeply with no familial support was one of the most painful, scary, and emotionally traumatic situations I have ever had to face. It goes without saying that this event had destroyed any motivation, focus and happiness that I had throughout the entire semester. Cooperating with police, planning a funeral with his family, and grieving with pre-existing mental health conditions put me in a frame of mind where I could not dedicate the amount of effort required of me for my studies. I did not have the energy to live anymore at that moment, which is when I knew I had to reach out for help. I had reached out to a psychiatrist who put me on medication to stabilize my depression and anxiety from this trauma as well as reached out to another counsellor and an occupational therapist to make sure that I stay afloat. All this medical attention still proved to not be enough, as I did not know my correct dose for anti depressants up until May of 2021.
I failed DEVS100 because it required a lot of research and effort to merely pass and failed ENIN301 due to not putting the amount of effort needed for my final project due after his death. As for BIOL102, the only reason I passed this was due to taking it in first year and being familiar with the content. I recognize that it would have been very beneficial if I had dropped DEVS100 after my boyfriend's death, as it would have beneficial to switch to being a part time student for the semester to help me manage my mental health and my GPA. However, in that time, I already was experiencing high anxiety and pressure from my parents due to the many credits I have failed in first and second year. I now recognize through my failure in the second semester, that I was going through a traumatic period that was detrimental to my focus on my studies. I also recognize that instead of being stubborn and continue pushing myself to higher limits, I should know my limit and accept a weaker course load, even it means being a part time student.