Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

Circumstance and Timeline
I was a victim of repeated sexual assault and harassment that began in summer 2019. The following is a timeline and explanation of my academic difficulties in each semester:

Fall 2019:
I was confused and I was not able to process what had happened at this time. I withdrew both mentally and physically and had trouble functioning in daily life. As a result, I did little to no work in these courses and failed the semester.

Winter 2020:
I reached out to Barb Lotan who connected me to Dr. Arunima Khanna at Student Wellness Services however after the first appointment I found that I was still not ready to accept what had happened. I managed to excel in courses that were easier and lower effort with less course work and struggled to complete assignments in those with more demands. When COVID hit, some professors offered options to submit work late with no penalty and I took advantage of that and as a result I ended up failing one course and doing well in the others.

Summer 2020:
At the beginning of this semester, I reached out for help from a counsellor outside of Queen's and she helped me excel in my summer courses. Near mid-summer, because of COVID, I had to stay with my family and due to cultural values and a lack of privacy I was not able to see the counsellor and felt unsafe talking about my experience in fear that someone would hear me.

Fall 2020:
I started seeing Dr. Khanna at the beginning of September after finding out I was on probation with OSAP, however staying at home due to COVID made it near impossible and I was unable to continue getting help. I tried to continue the semester without support but I found it hard to function day-to-day and after falling behind I found it impossible to catch up. I managed to focus some attention completing small assignments for MATH 280 which I managed to pass but since I neglected the other courses, I failed the rest of the semester.

Winter 2021:
I began this semester at home but despite that I tried to do my best in the courses. Since everything was online, I started the course work a few weeks before school started to avoid falling behind however without any form of support or anyone to talk to I was not able to hold that momentum for long. I came back to Kingston contacted Dr. Khanna at the beginning of April. With her support and the support of a close friend in Kingston, I managed to finish a few final assignments and exams and passed a couple courses.

Why I have submitted so late:
The main reason is that writing about this time in my life is really hard for me. I have been writing this letter slowly over the summer and I usually cannot spend more than 10 minutes as it usually brings a strong negative emotional response. As a result, I have unfortunately avoided the letter in order to avoid the feelings as well.

Before this year, I did not have the mental or physical capacity to do research on how to submit an appeal. I was struggling a bit last school year and was mostly focused on passing my classes and working on doing better mentally. I also placed huge importance on the result of the appeal and had multiple conversations with Dr. Khanna about how my recovery would be influenced if the appeal was rejected so at the time, I thought it would be better to not submit. I also did not know that I did not have to submit the one-term waive appeal until I met with a few academic advisors. I thought that I would have to submit multiple appeals and I felt that there was no way I could go through writing these letters multiple times.

Overall I regret not submitting sooner however looking back, there was no way I was capable of writing this letter. I do believe I am in a healthier place mentally and physically yet I am still having trouble typing all this out so I empathise with the person I was these last few years and I know I was trying my hardest then, despite not attempting to appeal. I am proud of my progress and although I do still have a long way to go and I am so happy that I am finally in a place where I feel I can finish and submit this letter.

Current Situation:
Last year went well. It was not perfect and I still had some struggles which I believe my grades reflect, however I have made significant improvements with my academics that are not visible through a transcript. In the 2020-2021 year I was always overwhelmed and I avoided any stresses and anxieties including assignments, going to class, and even just getting on a bus or leaving the house. I would also get reclusive and avoided going to exams and as a result I failed most of my classes. last year however, I went to my classes, completed assignments, and I passed all classes I took. This year I believe I can take the new strategies I have learned and take my learning a step further in order to do even better I am continuing to go to therapy and I have also met with multiple academic advisors to ensure I am on the right track. Last year has made me more optimistic for the future and I believe that getting an appeal will help me start this year on the right track.

Thank you for considering my appeal,
Megha Badwal