Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard,

My name is Joseph Lo Presti and I am a fourth-year Arts and Science student.

As you are the Associate Dean of Studies, I am writing this letter to you in support of the appeal form that I have completed in respect to three of my fall and winter courses. The appeals that I am making in the form and in this letter are the following:

1) request for Aegrotat (AG) standing for ENGL 321 (Fall 2014/Winter 2015)
2) request for Aegrotat (AG) standing for ENGL 340 (Fall 2014/Winter 2015)
3) request for Aegrotat (AG) standing for ENGL 369 (Fall 2014/Winter 2015)

Although I am also taking ENGL 466 in the Winter term, I am not requesting Aegrotat standing because there is no final exam and I will soon have completed all of the work requirements for that course.

I have received the approval for Aegrotat standing from all three of my professors, namely, Professor Dujardin (ENGL 321), Professor Jones (ENGL 340), and Professor Varadharajan (ENGL 369). They will substantiate their approval should you wish to contact them for verification purposes.

My request for Aegrotat standing is due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control. I have been dealing with a health issue for which I have been receiving ongoing treatment from the Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS) over the course of my undergraduate career. This health issue surfaced in my first year of university, causing me to seek support for this issue with Dr. McNevin at HCDS.

With the help of Dr. McNevin and other doctors that I sought through my family doctor, I have been able to manage my health issue successfully with the exception of the 2012-2013 year, when I had to seek an appeal for some of my courses.

My academic work in my courses up until now demonstrates that I have been able to excel and achieve high marks in all of my classes (including the three classes I am requesting Aegrotat standing for) despite my health issue. However, recently and unforeseeably, I suffered an exacerbation of my health issue, causing my disability symptoms to become so severe as to significantly prevent me from being able to effectively and productively focus, study, and manage my time while attempting to study for my final examinations.

Consequently, I fear that my performance on these final exams, as a result of this health issue, will not be a reflection of the work that I am capable of producing. When this exacerbation manifested itself, I immediately contacted HCDS and informed Dr. McNevin about my circumstances. I then consulted with the Undergraduate Chair of English, Chris Bongie, who suggested that, given my condition, I should apply for Aegrotat standing in my courses. Subsequently, I contacted my professors to seek their approval for Aegrotat standing. They were all sympathetic and agreed to support me in my petition.

I am requesting Aegrotat standing so that I can focus on my recovery, without having to contend with the pressures and anxiety of having to write final examinations. I fear that in my present condition and circumstances the symptoms that I am experiencing will hamper my examination performance to the point of blanking out, not being able to focus and think clearly, all of which will culminate in disastrous results, which is not reflective of my true academic capabilities.

To allow these symptoms to subside, I plan to devote the entire summer to getting better and to reach the state of well-being that I was at before the exacerbation of my health issue. This way, I hope to be fully prepared to engage with the academic requirements of my courses for the Fall of 2015.

Dr. McNevin and I are confident that this recovery is possible, and I have made arrangements to have continual appointments with him over the course of the summer at Kingston. In the event that plans change and I return home to Burlington, I will consult with my family doctor and seek help from other medical professionals who can best assist me with this issue. I am convinced that with ongoing and successful medical treatment this summer, I will be able to gain control of my disability and anxiety symptoms so as to enable me to successfully meet the academic challenges of my last year at Queen's.

In the meantime, I would appreciate your kind understanding and support in granting me the appeals that I am seeking and am attaching medical documentation from Dr. McNevin to substantiate them.

Sincerely and with kindest regards,

Joseph Lo Presti (Student No: 10007695).