Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To: Associate Dean (Academic)

I am appealing to drop History, HIST 109 (Winter 2022).

I am a first year student at Queen's. I previously submitted an academic appeal for GNDS 120 during the Fall 2021 term. This appeal was granted, for which I am grateful. I will reiterated that I am very achievement-oriented and generally a good student. Despite my best efforts, I have continued to be overwhelmed with course work and stress since the beginning of the Winter 2022 term. I felt the after-effects of COVID-19, which I contracted in late 2021, well into early 2022. I was also diagnosed with ADHD by my family doctor in late 2021 and was prescribed medication to help me focus. I started this medication in early 2022. I have never taken any medication of this sort so it has been an adjustment. I am also continuing to grieve the loss of my father, who passed away suddenly shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic started. Needless to say, this school year has presented some significant challenges for me and I have done my best to cope with these challenges and all of the associated stress.

During the second week of March 2022, I reached out to my mother, Julie Eisenstat, to let her know that I was very worried about my HIST 109 course as I had not been able to keep up with my course work. I was committed to completing the course but was struggling. My mother suggested that I speak with my professor to explore viable options, and I sent an email to Professor Gruskin on March 17, 2022 to explain my situation and request a discussion. Professor Gruskin kindly offered to meet with me on Tuesday March 29, 2022 at 4pm and we met by video on that date. We discussed the various options available to me, including completing assignments with some flexibility on deadlines, and submitting an academic appeal to drop the course. After some reflection and discussion with my mother, I decided that I was still intent on successfully completing the course and advised the Professor of my decision on April 7, 2022. After a few days transpired, on April 12, 2022 Professor Gruskin reached out to let me know that she did not think it was possible for me to pass the course and continued to express her support and concern in view of the reality of the situation. After further consideration and discussion with my mother, I made the decision that the only path forward was to submit an academic appeal to drop the course and advised Professor Gruskin of this decision on April 14, 2022. She responded the same day, expressing her support for this decision and offering to assist with my submission. My mother has provided a letter of support.

I appreciate all of the kindness, understanding and honesty that Professor Gruskin has shown me. She has advised that she plans to submit a letter in support of my appeal and that she has notified my TF, so she is also aware of this submission.

I will be taking a summer course and working throughout the summer before returning to Queen's for the Fall 2022 semester. I am confident that I will be much better prepared for a successful second year as a Queen's student and am committed to this success. Although the 2021/2022 year has presented great challenges and I did not achieve everything I set out to accomplish, I learned a lot about transitioning to university life and what is necessary to manage my stress going forward.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Lee Sadja