Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: January 22, 2022


Office of the Associate Dean, (Academic)
Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science
Dean's Office, First Floor Dunning Hall


Dear Dr. Atkinson,

I am writing this letter to you because I would like to request the removal of CISC101 (Fall 2021) from my permanent record. I would like to remove this course because of the effect it is having on my GPA, since I finished the course with a 0. This is due to many reasons, some of them being a poor adjustment into university life, struggling with mental health issues,
and the fear of dropping the course.

First, university life is great, but it is not what I expected. The increased responsibility was a lot to get used to. Due to the fact that I live off campus with others, I am learning both the material in my courses and how to become a functioning adult, which has not been an easy transition for me. For example, learning how to cook, taking care of my own well-being, and ultimately becoming more independent have been tough transitional periods.

Second, mental health issues, such as depression, have been troubling me for awhile (although I have not been clinically diagnosed). This, along with other factors, has reduced my motivation to want to be successful, which is obviously unwanted and has had an impact on all my courses. Luckily, I have met some very kind and genuine people who are helping me with these issues, which will hopefully allow me to regain some of the ambition I have lost. I have enrolled in the Bounce Back program and I??m researching additional mental health support offered at Queen??s. I was also notified on Friday evening that I was accepted into the Health and Personal Wellness (HLTH 102) course for this semester. This course is of real interest as I hope to learn skills that will benefit me personally and in my learning.

Finally, the main reason I didn??t drop this course is because of the embarrassment I would have felt had I told my parents. I didn't want them to think of me as a failure, so I hid these issues from them, and they only got worse. If I could go back and tell my parents, I would. The most crucial thing I have learnt from this experience, is that I need to, and will be, more honest with my parents. CISC 101 was not what I anticipated as I had problems grasping the material in the course. I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to improve in this course which had a detrimental effect on my other courses and my mental health.

I realize now that putting things off due to reasons like embarrassment will not make my situation better, but only worse, which is the way I plan to succeed in the future. I plan to properly balance my studies with learning to become an adult, along with getting help for my mental health challenges, and finally, being honest with my parents and not feeling embarrassment if dropping a course is needed.

Thank you for your consideration and I eagerly await your response.


Jack Reid