Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dec 3 2021

Dear Academic Considerations Board,

I??m writing to you to formally appeal to late drop MUTH 472 - Performance in Times of Crisis, taught by Professor Colleen Renihan. I??m requesting this appeal in hopes to be granted the opportunity to have this course dropped from my transcript with a DR notation.

In September 2021, I began MUTH472 with a combination of emotions. I felt eager and excited to get back to studying theatre after months of lockdown and isolation, but I also felt intense panic and anxiety about starting the school year back in person. On top of my own personal struggles, this year has left me with a lot of family-related stress and responsibility that prevented me from academically performing to my best ability.

Aside from regular school stress and my own mental illness-related issues, throughout this semester I've been travelling home to Toronto to be there for my younger sister. She's been having her own struggles related to mental illness and with my mom doing her very best but having to work full time, and my father out of the picture, my sister has been really struggling on her own. Due to this, I became her main support throughout this semester.

Throughout the fall term, I would leave Kingston on Thursday afternoons, take a three-hour bus journey home, and return back on Monday nights. The back and forth between cities and the burden of supporting someone else through a mental health struggle, has put a lot of stress on me. The weight of my family problems and my own personal mental health issues made it extremely difficult to successfully complete my assignments. The combination of travelling early enough to make it to classes and my job, plus my own worry and anxiety for my sister??s health, took quite the toll on me and my mental health. The stress caused me to struggle so severely with insomnia and left me with little time to care for myself, let alone do my best within my academics.

Due to the combination of these issues, I suffered immensely throughout the school year. I was not only struggling to submit assignments or attend class, but I was struggling with such overwhelmingly negative feelings that prevented me from doing everyday things.
As the semester comes to a close, I??ve finally been given the opportunity to attend counselling. Although I still struggle with my mental illnesses and am still the main support for my sister, I??m slowly but surely getting the therapy and guidance to help support me through this difficult time. To overcome these barriers I??ve been faced with, I??m planning to hopefully organize a travel plan for the winter semester that allows me to visit my home less regularly so I can work on prioritizing my health and my academics.

Should I be granted the opportunity to late drop MUTH472, I will continue on my journey of maintaining a healthy mindset and a healthy plan of action for the winter semester. I will be continuing my schedule of therapy sessions and daily medications in order to stay on track. I also plan to reach out to Student Wellness at Queen??s in order to create an extra layer for my support system in Kingston. Along with maintaining my mental health, I will continue to be in contact with Queen??s Student Accessibility Services and set up a new appointment where we can discuss my old accommodations and how they can be adjusted to my current circumstances for my next semester at Queen??s.

I will work my hardest to overcome these hurdles and set up plans that prioritize my well-being so that I can achieve academic success in my future courses.

To support my appeal, I have attached letters from my doctors and my current QSAS accommodation letter.
I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to late drop this course. I am available for any discussion with the academic considerations board or with Professor Renihan who was a great support and suggested I request this appeal. I am also happy to redo any assignments or complete extra work should that be beneficial.

I??d like to thank you so much for your time and consideration.
All the best,

Francesca Amato