Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Office of the Associate Dean (Academic),

My name is Glafki Baci (student ID: 20052190) and I am in my final week of studies at Queen's University. I am appealing to drop two courses, DEVS 352 (Winter 2023) and EMPR 270 (Winter 2023). Throughout my time at Queen's, I have faced extenuating circumstances beyond my own control. My learning has been affected severely but I have been able to also push through to the finish line of completing my degree. I have applied for two appeals before in earlier years, but in those cases, I was not close to graduating and was not able to produce grades in the A - A+ range in any courses during those terms. Since then, I have worked on myself intensely and made many changes to prioritize my health and minimize the effect of my extenuating circumstances on my learning. I have supporting documentation for accommodations from QSAS, which now allowed me to complete the required courses on an alternative timeline, and with high grades. The nature of my circumstances precisely affects the timing of my ability to focus on academic work and be productive in assignment completion. It also limits my social interactions and, therefore, class participation. I am extremely thankful to my academic advisor, Ellen Babb, and my wonderful professors of the three courses I am finishing this term who helped me get to this point. I had many dark days where I could not imagine making it to another one, but with the accessibility to professional help and supports at Queen's, I am a stronger student, and certainly a stronger person than when I first started.

As I could not physically attend classes, finding online options were important to me but many of these options were full once I was able to enroll for the term. This led to me enrolling in DEVS 352 while I was on the waitlist for HIST 207 (a DEVS-eligible course meeting the same requirement as DEVS 352). However, two weeks into the course, I was accepted to HIST 207 and focused my attention on this course as it was online. I was also attempting to complete my EMPR certificate parallel to my degree, but after reaching out to the course instructor with an accommodation request, they never responded. After two attempts, I understood I had to focus on my degree completion, instead. I did not make the required submissions for DEVS 352 and EMPR 270, nor was I able to attend either course. These two situations led to DEVS 352 and EMPR 270 being incomplete, and why I am appealing to drop them from my academic records.

I am now at the point of having completed all requirements to graduate. I am extremely thankful to all the people who have supported me in QSAS and Student Wellness Services, and given me the proper management tools to make it to this day. Having the two abovementioned courses removed from my final term will reflect my grade average on the basis of my grade in the three completed courses rather than the two I did not complete. After graduation, I am now prepared to take the steps needed to take care of myself better before going back to studies in the future.


Thank you in advance for considering this request to appeal,
Sincerely,
Glafki Baci
20052190