Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: ACADEMIC APPEAL - 20064395 To whom it may concern,
My name is Katherine Bubalo and I am writing this appeal to drop courses after the academic
deadline because I was going through extenuating circumstances which affected my ability to perform
academically. The courses I am asking to drop are as follows:

2020 Summer
ENIN 140 Design Thinking 3.00 F 0.0

2020 Fall
DEVS 393 Topics in Developt Studies I (Covid 19 in the Global South) D- DEVS 492 Topics in Developt Studies I (Political Ecology) F
ENSC 290 Intro to Ecological Econ F
ITLN 111 Beginning Italian I F

2021 Winter
DEVS 492 Topics in Developt Studies I (Global Governance) F ENSC 321 Env Justice in Global Context F
LLCU 214 Mafia Culture D-
LLCU 370 Indigenous Women and Power F
RELS 227 Indigenous Traditions in N.A. F

2021 Summer
COMM 221 Introduction To Finance F EMPR 230 Managing Human Resources F ITLN 111 Beginning Italian I F
RELS 131 Wrld Religions/Religious Wrlds F

2021 Fall
COMM 251 Organizational Behaviour F
RELS 131A Wrld Religions/Religious Wrlds NG

To preface my extenuating circumstances, I feel it is important to share that in my second year (2018/19) at Queen??s university, I began struggling with my mental health and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. At the beginning of 2020, I fell into a depressive episode where I experienced extreme low moods. During this time, I isolated myself completely, lost interest in everything I once enjoyed, became irritable, withdrew socially, struggled to take care of myself, lost my appetite, and suffered from sleep disturbances which ultimately led to my inability to succeed in my academics. In addition to this suffering, the pandemic hit, further deteriorating my condition. It wasn??t until summer 2021 that I consulted my doctor and was diagnosed with depression.

The latter extenuating circumstances impaired me from succeeding academically as I was living in survival mode and did not have the capacity for any external tasks. The thought of my courses disabled me even further and I believe the timeline of my grades reflect the deterioration of my mental health accurately. I must bring attention to the few classes that I did pass ?? both by one grade. I was able to get by, but I did not have the ability to engage with the content and therefore I see them as failing grades, as I failed to learn the key teachings. After each one of these semesters, I should have taken a step back from academics, but I must emphasize that being a student was the only thing that I could define myself by. I felt if I lost this form of identity ?? being a Queen??s student ?? I would keep spiralling and lose the only part of myself I still half-recognized.

This medical circumstance, exacerbated by the pandemic, was beyond my control and therefore I do not believe these academic years reflect my capabilities as I value my education, my degree, and my spot at Queen??s University. I can confidently say that I am ready to enrol back in class and have the means to do so successfully. I am going to move forward by continuing to see my therapist once a week, taking my medication and adhering to a strict daily routine. In addition, I??ve met with an academic advisor in my department and have put together a realistic academic plan. Thank you for taking the time to read over this appeal.