Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I just wanted to begin by thanking the school for all the support it has given me over the past two years and for having great consideration with regard to my difficult circumstances. I am writing to you because, in an attempt to recover some credits that I did not receive in my first year at Queen??s due to personal struggles with mental health and the global pandemic, I took it upon myself to enroll in two 12-week summer courses this semester. I enrolled in the ENGLISH 100 course because it is a course from my first year that I did not pass. I wanted to retake it this summer to replace the previous grade and receive the six credits. This is proving to be very challenging as I am working full-time hours plus overtime at a golf course and school, putting to use the coping mechanism skills that I learned in counselling last summer and fall in order to manage my mental state, helping out with my family, and doing two summer course all at once which I have come to realize I do not have time for as I barely have time to sleep. Reducing my hours of work was not an option as I rely on the financial resources it provides. As a result, I would like to request that I be dropped from my ENGLISH 100 (summer 2022) course without academic penalty, however, I will remain in the SPANISH 111 (summer 2022) course.

I was falsely under the impression that the drop date was in late July because I thought the ENGLISH 100 course was listed as a July-August course (because it finishes in august) but it is in fact a May-July class for which the assigned drop deadline was July 1st. I realize I am a week late in my submission to drop the ENGLISH 100 course which is why I am submitting this appeal.

I began counselling and psycho-therapy treatment plans in April/May of 2021 as a result of my anxiety and depression disorders that I had been recently diagnosed with by my doctor. I had experienced a couple of minor breakdowns throughout high school, however, it was nothing in comparison to what I endured in my first year of university which was largely brought on by stress and the isolation I felt during the pandemic. In the spring I began treatment and counselling that I continued for a few months. During that time, I was learning to develop healthy coping mechanisms- one of which was recognizing when I have been too critical or pushed myself to the point of self-sabotage. I now recognize that I have put too much on my own plate and in an attempt to help myself I am dropping a course, however, I do not want to go the entire summer without receiving any credits which is why I will remain in my SPANISH 111 course which I am doing very well in and can remain engaged. The workload in the ENGLISH 100 course is too demanding for the time and energy that I have available and as a result, is having a negative impact on my mental health. With regard to this, another step in my treatment was learning to recognize my signs of oncoming stress and anxiety. A little bit is normal, but what I am experiencing (and where I know this is headed) is not healthy. Hence why I am trying to manage the situation.

I explained my circumstances to my professor for the ENGLISH 100 course, Dr. Robert May, this past week via email, and he was very helpful in suggesting that I submit an appeal to the Associate Dean due to the fact that I missed the deadline which he pointed out. I do not want to waste resources or the TA??s and professor's time, and I also do not want a bad grade or possible failure in this class to negatively impact my GPA I am working really hard at recovering.

Along with my letter of appeal, I am submitting proof of my previous counselling and a note from my doctor last summer attesting to the information and timeline that I provided above pertaining to my mental health and the steps forward that I was trying to take (you will notice that the letter from my doctor was written for my appeal last summer about suspension). I am no longer in counselling nor have I spoken to my doctor about my status this summer and do not receive regular prescribed medication from my doctor either because I chose not to go down that treatment path as I did not want to experience the downside of anxiety and depression disorder medications. Therefore, I do not have any current documentation to provide, however, I did want to submit documentation that supports the situation I described above to provide a complete picture of my circumstances.

Should my appeal to late drop the ENGLISH 100 course without academic penalty, I will continue with my SPANISH 111 course that I most certainly will succeed in, adding a couple of credits and enhancing my GPA. From there on, I am once again looking forward to another great school year at Queen??s. Thank you for taking the time to look over my appeal and for your consideration of my request- it is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Hannah Veysey