Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this appeal as I missed the academic deadline to add classes by one day. I have had a great interest in the GNDS 510 course which is the Directed Special Studies department. It is where students can work directly with a professor, meeting weekly to discuss readings and ultimately write a 20+ paper for the semester. My interest in wanting to take this course is that I feel it will enhance my academic experience and skills. I will gain one on one experience with a Professor regarding my research work, which is very unique. As other courses have 100s of students, so that time with the Professor/academic professionals is very limited. This course has also never been offered in my past three years here at Queen??s, so this would be my only possibility to take it as I graduate this year. Professor Little has gone above and beyond to enhance my experience with this course by also looking for opportunities for me to move forward as a research assistant. So this opportunity truly is one in a lifetime for what is left of my duration here at Queen??s.

The reason for this appeal is that It has taken time to reach out to only core faculty (as that is only what is allowed), wait for their replies and then have further communication to agree upon a topic that both of us agree on. Professor Little was the only professor who could make this course credit work, I messaged every other professor in the GNDS department for either semester and everyone else had other obligations etc. She is also on sabbatical in the winter which is why it would have to be this Fall 2021 term. I also cannot add the course by myself through SOLUS, a member of the GNDS department has to do it and there is paperwork required. Which has also affected the timeline for me registering for this course. Email communication especially in these times of remote work can have waiting times for replies. I also wanted to quickly note that do have accommodations registered with Queen??s that at times affect my academics and abilities to communicate within certain timelines.

With everything that I have said, I hope you take into consideration my fullest want to be a part of this course and innovative opportunity. This drivenness to be in this particular course should be an indication of what my intentions are with the course, which is to do great in it. By being allowed to register in this course, it will not only enhance my academic experience at Queen??s but will also affect future professional opportunities as well. A quick last note, I know the appeal letter is supposed to show why it would be fair to all students if the appeal is granted. I believe in my case it is fair because this course option does not involve other students, so there is no inequality and inaccessibility to other students. This course is not a required elective and not a lot of students choose this option because it has a self-driven/taught component. I am a student eager for that component as I have experienced other learning environments in the last three years.

Overall, thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,
Hailey Pride