Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am contacting you in reference to appealing to drop my course of COMM 200 for the winter term of 2015. The reason being is that I have had some extenuating circumstances with both my psychological state and as well as a situation develop with my family. Two years ago I was granted an appeal to continue my studies with Queen's University and was put on academic probation which this past year I was successful of no longer being under as I realized the previous course I was on was not sustainable to both my academic and physical state.

This situation developed because I was suffering from depression and had been withdrawn from my course work in which I sought professional help from a therapist and was prescribed anti-depressants which I still currently take and have improved since then. However this year, a relationship situation develop between my parents that jeopardized their marriage which distracted me from my course work again and commuted home frequently in an effort to repair it which was successful. My father is originally from a farming background and had lost his uncle this previous summer which required him to aid his own father in farm related labour which this situation originated from. With my father away from home, distance grew between my parents which resulted in a deterioration of the marriage during my time in Kingston and had I took action to and reduced my course load to two course and commuted frequently back home in an effort to repair it. I thought would allow me to better manage my academic tasks but unfortunately has still put me in an extenuating position psychologically. My sister and I were successful is getting our parents to cope with the situation and they have planned on seeking family counseling starting this summer with me being home and the family with be all together. Currently in the mean time I feel they are on positive path.

As I have previously been on academic probation one of the conditions I am under is that if I fall below a GPA of 1.6 for a second time I will be required to withdraw from Queen's University for an extending amount of time which is what I am trying to avoid. Due to courses in my previous term I currently have a GPA of 1.57 in which I am repeating one of those courses currently. If I am able to pass this course I will be able to maintain my GPA above 1.6 and maintain my academic standing and return to Queen's this September which is ultimately my goal. This is why I would like to drop my other course COMM 200 due to the fact that even if I achieve a 100 percent on the final exam the maximum in the course I will obtain will be a 67 due to a final group presentation that was worth a significant portion of the final grade. I had gave this course all my effort as is evident in my week tests and midterm grade all ranging in the 70s, however due to the others in the group not pulling their weight the final presentation did not achieve the standards I had demanded from my peers. I know how this may sound like I am redirecting blame for something that should've been my responsibility but I can honestly tell you this is not the case and feel that I should not be held ultimately responsible due to the shortcomings of others that now will jeopardize my whole academic career. All my years at Queens I have given the best effort and approached every task with a positive attitude, and have both invested much time with all aspects of the University even being a member of the Queen's Senate Tuition and Fees Appeals Committee with the Office of University of Registrar under Dr. John Metcalfe, and understand the seriousness and integrity of this appeals process. As well, I have built many great working relationships with both the faculty and staff which I would like to maintain as well being employed with the Office of University Registrar for four years and look to continue giving back to the Queen's community.

By allowing me to drop COMM 200, you will allow me to put all my efforts into my remaining course that will allow me to achieve the best possible grade in this course and will grant me the opportunity to continue my studies with Queen's. If my appeal is denied and I am forced to enter into the exam I do not feel I can realistically achieve a passing grade which will result in my GPA being lower than 1.6 and require me to withdraw for a period of 3 years. Being 22 currently, and imaging the scenario of returning when I am 25 is something that will put me at more of a disability in the real world as I have already incurred debt, which a minimum paying job with no postsecondary with put me behind further. I honestly feel that with the ability to focus 100 percent solely on the one final exam will allow me to not only achieve my academic goals but the life and career goals I have set for myself. However, you may see that the prospect of me withdrawing for this time will allow my domestic situation to improve by me being closer to home, this is not the case as my parents have repeatedly made statements that it would widen the gap as now they would have the added challenge of caring for a young adult which would add pressure to a very delicate situation.

As for my future plans, I have taken the initiative to add summer courses which will allow me to further upgrade my GPA and plan on repeating this course in the next academic year and will allow me to succeed and have sought academic advice from the faculty. The only documentation that I have is a statement from my parents indicating these events did occur and that they will be seeking to improve their relationship that will take away this stress for me. As well I have included my original medical and appeal documentation from two years ago and I have continued with my rehabilitation plan with positive results. I am a very keen student that has been trying to attain my goals throughout my history at Queen's both in my academic work and in the workplace and have given a lot. I ask that you please take my situation into consideration and that you help me in achieving these goals. I apologize for the added length but feel it was necessary for you to understand my current situation, I thank you for your time in considering my appeal and hope you are able to empathize with my situation.

Sincerely,
Justin DeGurse