Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
My name is Chloe Brunton, and I am an undergraduate student currently working towards my Bachelor of Science (Geology Major). I am writing this First Level Petition to the Associate Dean to petition the dropping of my course GEOL 543 (Fall 2025 to Winter 2026).
The reason for this petition is due to extenuating circumstances involving acute mental health problems. These circumstances began during the Summer of 2019 and are ongoing to the present date of writing this letter (June 2026). The severity of these circumstances were such that I was unable to complete the required coursework for this course and left me unable to continue communication with my instructor in order to inform him about these circumstances. The severity of these circumstances were less impactful at the beginning of the timeline. In Fall Semester 2022, I first began seeking assistance from the Queen’s Department of Student Wellness Services, where I was given resources to effectively cope with symptoms so that my classes at that time were not affected. However, by Winter Semester 2025 my circumstances had progressed such that my coursework was being negatively impacted. I adapted to this by taking up several counselling appointments with Student Wellness Services, where I was once again able to avoid major negative impacts to my classes at the time. Unfortunately, during the Summer of 2025, my circumstances grew exponentially worse.
It was during the Fall 2025 Semester that my GEOL 543 course began. I was able to book counselling sessions for the Fall 2025 Semester and eventually sought private counselling services in March of the Winter 2026 semester. However, by this time I was unable to complete the coursework for this class as I no longer could manage how many courses I had and thus decided to prioritize my required courses rather than this course. I did not drop this course before the deadline of February 27th, 2026, because of the symptoms of my circumstances included high degrees of anxiety, a breakdown in my ability to communicate, and my misunderstanding of the severity of my case. It was through discussions with my private counselling service that I eventually was able inform my professor that I would not be able to complete this course. He has as such marked my grade as Incomplete.
As of writing this letter, I have now gained the support of my parents, who are helping me build an action plan to solve these issues so that this situation will not happen again. This includes taking more online courses so that I spend more time at home. Furthermore, the private counselling appointments taken during the Winter Term 2026 have been proven effective in their ability to improve my circumstances, and further appointments will be scheduled as needed.
Please consider this my formal request to drop GEOL 543. I ask that you take these factors into consideration when making your decision. Alongside this letter I have included documentation from the private counselling services supporting these events.
Yours sincerely,
Chloe Brunton
Student #: 20302338
Student email: 21cjb13@queensu.ca
My name is Chloe Brunton, and I am an undergraduate student currently working towards my Bachelor of Science (Geology Major). I am writing this First Level Petition to the Associate Dean to petition the dropping of my course GEOL 543 (Fall 2025 to Winter 2026).
The reason for this petition is due to extenuating circumstances involving acute mental health problems. These circumstances began during the Summer of 2019 and are ongoing to the present date of writing this letter (June 2026). The severity of these circumstances were such that I was unable to complete the required coursework for this course and left me unable to continue communication with my instructor in order to inform him about these circumstances. The severity of these circumstances were less impactful at the beginning of the timeline. In Fall Semester 2022, I first began seeking assistance from the Queen’s Department of Student Wellness Services, where I was given resources to effectively cope with symptoms so that my classes at that time were not affected. However, by Winter Semester 2025 my circumstances had progressed such that my coursework was being negatively impacted. I adapted to this by taking up several counselling appointments with Student Wellness Services, where I was once again able to avoid major negative impacts to my classes at the time. Unfortunately, during the Summer of 2025, my circumstances grew exponentially worse.
It was during the Fall 2025 Semester that my GEOL 543 course began. I was able to book counselling sessions for the Fall 2025 Semester and eventually sought private counselling services in March of the Winter 2026 semester. However, by this time I was unable to complete the coursework for this class as I no longer could manage how many courses I had and thus decided to prioritize my required courses rather than this course. I did not drop this course before the deadline of February 27th, 2026, because of the symptoms of my circumstances included high degrees of anxiety, a breakdown in my ability to communicate, and my misunderstanding of the severity of my case. It was through discussions with my private counselling service that I eventually was able inform my professor that I would not be able to complete this course. He has as such marked my grade as Incomplete.
As of writing this letter, I have now gained the support of my parents, who are helping me build an action plan to solve these issues so that this situation will not happen again. This includes taking more online courses so that I spend more time at home. Furthermore, the private counselling appointments taken during the Winter Term 2026 have been proven effective in their ability to improve my circumstances, and further appointments will be scheduled as needed.
Please consider this my formal request to drop GEOL 543. I ask that you take these factors into consideration when making your decision. Alongside this letter I have included documentation from the private counselling services supporting these events.
Yours sincerely,
Chloe Brunton
Student #: 20302338
Student email: 21cjb13@queensu.ca