Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Associate Dean, Dr. Jenn Stephenson,


I am writing this appeal letter to waive the requirement of withdrawing for one year and to late drop the courses PSYC 100 A and B, DEVS 101, HIST 108, HIST 109, ARTF 125, ANSH 102. I got issued this requirement as I failed the courses. The reason I am submitting this appeal is because I felt that were extenuating circumstances that caused me to fail these classes. My first semester of the school year was actually quite an improvement for my academics. I had my planned supports set up, being in contact with Four Directions every few weeks, and being registered on QSAS. Although, QSAS weren’t clear about my accommodations which would’ve helped for the school year, I am unsure why I wasn’t contacted about that. The only course I failed in first semester was a course I tried dropping before the deadline as I recognized I didn’t enjoy it at all (DEVS 101). Second semester I felt confident going into it as I felt I got the academic rust off and had a full semester under my belt without too much distractions or problems. It was when things with my Grandma’s health started to get going that things started to get more difficult. My Grandma’s death had an effect on my mental health, which has been improving and is much better. Although, during the time right before my Grandma’s death and just after it, was a very difficult time as I haven’t grieved like that over a close person in my life since I was a kid. It’s a difficult thing to explain as I’ve struggled to understand the feelings I was experiencing at the time. It was in general just sadness, but also shock as it wasn’t expected. That event happened throughout the first few weeks of January, in and out of the Hospital with family and then her death on the 26th of January.

With that event changing things for me personally and mentally, getting sick for a week and a half after that didn’t help. I still am not exactly sure what I was sick with, but I did end up going into emerge to get checked out as my chest was hurting a lot when I was coughing one morning. After being sick and not keeping up with the school work as a result of that, I was behind with school work. At this point too, it was already Reading Week, which was already set aside to visit my sister in BC. Which I took the time to just relax and focus on being happy and taking a moment from the amount of stress and sadness I have been feeling. That trip really helped with my mental health and happiness, and it also made me realize how much motivation and personal academic goals had started to waver with the number of things going on around me. I tried picking things up and seeing what I needed to do as I was a month behind in school work. I reached out to Jessica Parks, Indigenous Advisor at Four Directions on campus at Queens, to help figure this out. Which this then led to bringing Jenna Kring, Indigenous Academic Advisor to help as well. This gave me answers about school that made it clear I had a mountain to climb. The courses would need near perfect marks for the rest of the term for me to barely pass. With an already wavering motivation and not fully focused on school mind, I found that I just couldn’t reach those work expectations as I knew I would just over exert myself personally and find no growth from it. This all being said has led me to this letter and to coming to the decision of wanting to take a year off from school to be able to learn, grow, and figure out what I want to go forth with for my own academics. The year off would be for me, not for the school, not for anyone else, but for me.

My next steps have been having every few weeks meetings with 4D “Team Oscar” which is already mentioned Jessica Parks, Jenna Kring, and Lisa Doxtator, Cultural Counsellor at Four Directions on Queens Campus. These meetings consist of help with this letter, discussing the future for me, my mental health, and having check-ups throughout this whole process. We have also discussed what it could look like if and when I return to Queens, which would be to continue the supports I already have set up, 4D Team, QSAS, and to start talking to a counsellor consistently. Lisa Doxtator and I have already started discussing that I could talk to her within the next year or so. With these supports in place and with my year off, I am sure I can be successful in whatever I choose to do. Thank you for reading this letter, and for considering my asks to waive the requirement to withdrawal for a year and to late drop courses.