Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jill Atkinson
Acting Associate Dean, (Academic)
Hello,
I am writing this letter as an appeal to waive the 21-day/one term deadline for submitting appeals. In writing this letter, my intention is to submit an appeal to drop courses past the academic deadline. The courses I wish to drop past the academic deadline are HIST252 (2021 Winter), HIST267 (2021 Winter), HIST299 (2021 Winter), & PHIL157 (2021 Winter). I appreciate the opportunity to explain the extenuating circumstances I was experiencing and continue to experience that prevented me from filing an appeal within the 21-day/one term deadline.
During the Winter Term of 2021, specifically from January to May of 2021, I experienced severe mental health problems relating to a medical diagnosis I received from Student Wellness Services. The consequence of these mental health problems was that I was severely limited in my ability to respond to both academic as well as personal responsibilities. Further, COVID-19 severely limited the support I was able to receive both from the university as well as from my peers. Conventional support such as reaching out to professors, TAs, classmates, or academic advisors was awkward and inaccessible in an online format. The isolation that the pandemic imposed upon students also worsened my mental health situation.
Furthermore, in April, I was devastated by the death of my grandmother, which severely impacted my ability to complete academic responsibilities. This event was timed toward the end of the term, and so it negatively affected my ability to request or submit any academic appeals with regards to my courses. I can provide documentation of this event if necessary/requested.
I was unable to appeal to drop these courses due to the extenuating circumstances relating to my mental health and my family. Also, the treatment that I sought for my mental health issues interfered with me being able to appeal to drop these courses, as initially I had wanted to complete these courses, despite my condition making it difficult for me to do so. I have since accepted that the only realistic course of action is to drop these courses, as my ongoing progress in my treatment plan with Student Wellness Services will allow for greater success in my future courses.
If my appeal to waive the 21-day deadline/one term deadline is granted, I will apply to have these courses dropped past the academic deadline. I have crafted an academic plan in consultation with my counsellor at Student Wellness Services that will allow for my recovery from my mental health issues as well as my continued academic success. The remedial actions that we have proposed are reaching out to Student Academic Success Services for more personalised and targeted academic help, as well as staying in contact with Student Wellness Services.
I am very grateful to be able to explain the extenuating and stressful circumstances that I have been subjected to for the past academic year, and I hope that my appeal is granted so that I am able to continue my positive academic and personal growth at Queen??s University.
Regards,
Gabriel D??Souza
Student 20156156
September 10, 2021