Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic) Dr. Stephenson,

I am appealing the faculty's decision that I must withdraw from Queen's for a minimum of one year.

My transition to university has been challenging. I had to make the adjustment by myself with minimal help from my school and from family due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Participating in the last three months of high school of prevented strong communication between the teaching staff and myself about the transition into university challenging. This resulted in having to make decisions about my future without help or advice stressful and difficult. When I came to Queens, I felt isolated, it was challenging to make friends, and participate in campus activities or events. I found myself nervous to ask for help and didn't exactly know how too. My experience with online courses during my first year at queens, were not an effective way for me to understand course material and university expectations. I understand that attending the lectures and tutorials is essential, but I found myself feeling unmotivated and apathetic towards my courses. I believe that this was due to the stress of starting university and the pandemic.

My mother is someone who I seek out for help and guidance when it is needed. I have not been able to do this effectively because my mother and brother have been stuck in Beijing, China for three years now. During that time, I have not seen either of them or have difficulty communicating with them because of the 12-hour time difference. When I do hear from them, they are often being pulled out of their home and put into quarantine facilities for days or weeks without any indication of when they going to be sent home. They are often not allowed to leave their home if a single person in their gated community has covid. They are not able to leave the country with a guarantee of being able to return. My mother's job and my brother's position in his school has been threatened if she attempts to leave the country. This scary situation that they are going through is constantly on my mind and I don't have anyone to talk too about it. I have not wanted to bother her with my poor performance in university and add to her stress.

In my second year at Queen's, I found myself to be doing a lot better than my first year. I was able to attend most of my in-person classes and tutorials. I found myself more engaged and enthusiastic when it came to my courses. I also felt as though I was doing a lot better academically, which was evident when I got grades back on OnQ. Although I was doing better academically, I was getting sick a lot more often, hindering my ability to do course work. When I attempted to get academic consideration, I would only get three extra days, although I often needed more. When I asked if I could get a few more days, they said I didn't have strong enough supporting documentation to justify. When I would go to the hospital my first thought wasn't to ask for a note for academic consideration but to try and figure out what was wrong with me. When I was recommended to go to the student wellness centre, I would need make a call or make a booking and fill out information that I was unclear of. Due to these extra steps, I found it easier to go to the emergency room at KGH to be diagnosed and prescribed medication quickly even though I do not receive the right documentation to support academic considerations.

These circumstances have been detrimental to my mental health and ability to perform well in university. These circumstances should not affect in the upcoming year because of the changes in circumstances and the expectations I have for myself. My family is moving back to Canada this summer and will be closer to me. I know what is expected of myself in university and what I must do to achieve my goals. I am familiar with the universities policies, procedures and student services. I intend to follow and use them in order to ensure my success at Queens.