Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Letter: I want to take this time to clarify how the extenuating circumstances I expressed experiencing during the Summer and Fall of 2023 were impactful enough to directly affect my studies during this time – and why these circumstances were impactful enough I was unable to drop courses prior to the course deadline. I will further explain below, with specifics of the situation I was living through specifically during those two terms.

In the Summer and Fall of 2023, there was not an option to drop courses until the last day, unlike the courses in Spring of 2024, of which I appropriately contacted Jenna Kring from academic services ongoing and made the decision to drop the courses I was less confident about and succeeded in the courses I kept. I utilized the services available to me ongoing, with email threads totaling over 100 emails in the term to ensure my success. I utilized services and resources around me in Spring of 2024 to ensure my success in my education. I delayed submitting the petition to drop Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 courses until the end of Spring 2024 courses as doing so re-hashes trauma and i needed to protect my mental health to ensure my success. At this time, I was going to petition to drop these courses off my transcript. My GPA was only at the point of being on probation as of the Fall of 2023 due to my declining mental health because of domestic violence and abuse from my sister and mother, as Summer of 2023 was likely the most unwell summer of my life as of this day, and therefore took a toll on my GPA. I do now regret not submitting my late-drop request sooner, as if this was able to be considered with the extensive evidence, I was able to gather at that time, I would not have been required to withdraw. Unfortunately, I was unable to do this due to the impact of re-hashing domestic abuse from family members re-hashes, and I do now regret protecting temporary mental health improvement as it only created the need to appeal a larger issue that surrounds my education being revoked for a year, likely eliminating my financial ability to re-enroll, due to domestic abuse.

I feel the associate dean was not able to see my extenuating circumstances, as she states, due to the lack of explanation for why I was unable to simply drop courses when paying attention to deadlines, and how my circumstances directly impact my ability to perform.

I will provide a tighter explanation to demonstrate this. In April of 2023, whilst struggling financially and hoping to help my newly divorced sister, I moved into her home. This provided a rental discount and what I thought was mutually beneficial. In April to May of 2023, I began to ensure abuse from my sister.

This includes her throwing my items on her lawn in the night, her threatening me with objects, beating doors down, calling my job to falsely report me, submitting reports against me to my school with untrue descriptions, taking my money from any account she had access to, and emitting extreme amounts of verbal abuse. This occurred daily, breaking my mental health down. I was in an unwell position mentally, as not only was I incurring abuse from her in many aspects – but she also was able to make me loose my job, get in trouble with school for something I am adamant to this day i did not do, and risked my housing as she continuously told me to get out of her house. Domestic abuse is difficult, and often when someone is experiencing this – they are unable to get out or seek help. I felt hopeless, did not have a safe space (She illegally ran a daycare with upwards of fifteen children in an unfinished basement, of which CAS shut down the day I moved out as I called them to ensure these children were safe). I did not have family support or the funds to do much regarding fixing the situation. I began to search for new housing, with limited money because I had to spend all my money to move into her house. I found housing for the end of the Summer and was able to move out on my own. At this time, I began repairing myself as best as I could financially as my finances greatly impact my mental health. I was doing okay, until I received notification from my mother that she was not paying the car payment that I had taken out for her while going through abuse from my sister and being in an unwell state. She defaulted on these payments, destroying any financial ability I had left in my credit score. The company began harassing me, and I was at risk of the car, in my name, being reposessed and creating additional thousands of dollars of fees. My mother did not pay multiple payments, and in October of 2023 I was forced to pay over $1600 total to her car in my name. This was overwhelming, expensive, and re-hashed financial trauma from the Summer of 2023. This delayed my ability to buy myself food, take care of my ongoing medical issues, or pay for therapy that was greatly helping me. I was not good financially, thus mentally, as I was unable to provide for myself to live. In November of 2023, shortly after, my spouse of whom I live with, experienced a workplace injury and took a 20-30% pay cut by having to go on WSIB for his foot injury. We took a massive financial pay-cut, and I was unable to provide for myself or bounce back from my mother taking advantage of us. This impacted my ability to perform well in school. It is incredibly difficult to perform well in school or pay attention to drop-deadlines while being homeless in your vehicle, or not having hydro in your home, or ending therapy that was helping abuse trauma. It is difficult to pay attention to drop-deadlines whilst your loved one and partner is physically unable to do anything, resulting in the entire house workload, financial and emotional load suddenly being put on myself.

Domestic abuse is difficult as it is the person that one loves who is doing the harmful action, and thus not a cut and dry situation. I want this to be taken into further consideration for my decision. If i was able to think logically and drop the courses during the drop-date, I would have done so. I greatly respect and look up to the associate dean but do believe the decision was made from a normal person’s life point of view, not of one who may be in their car homeless, without food, shampoo, a mother or sister relationship suddenly. If I had food, housing, and necessities, I would have dropped courses on time, as I did in Spring of 2024 to ensure my success. I was unable to do so as my mental health was so unwell that i was unable to remember timelines. It is difficult to remember drop-dates for my education when I am sleeping in my car, with no money or food. There are extensive research documents that back up that victims of domestic abuse cannot often flee this type of relationship nor make proper decisions whilst experiencing it – and I can include multiple references to this if requested. I was unable to provide specific documentation that showed how my mental health suffered but am grateful and able to provide proof I endured abuse from my sibling (please see my first appeal for some documentation, please request more if you need more. It is difficult to scroll back on these conversations). I can provide proof i moved into her home, and then out – to search for new places. I can provide proof my mother took me for $1600 during October 2023. I can provide proof my spouse went off work only two weeks later – November of 2023. I can sign an affadavit with a lawyer present if need be of all of the above timeline, and how the lack of financial stability, homelessness, emotional trauma and instability as a result of these 3 main events occuring between May 1st 2023 to January of 2024 when he returned to work after his injury, contributed to my unsucess of my courses during the time – and why I was unable to drop these courses.

I fully intended to request late drop for Summer 2023 in Fall of 2023, but was unable to do so due to further traumatic events – once again reasoning for why i did not drop Fall 2023 courses on time. When these events were over, I wanted to petition to late drop both semesters, to move forward and succeed in my education. To ensure my success in Spring 2024 courses, this was delayed. My car was stolen and I experienced some personal issues that I managed through in Spring of 2024, so to ensure I could focus on that while ensuring I pay attention to drop-deadlines and drop courses when i need to, I am delayed in submitting the late drop request with documentation. Due to this, am now required to withdrawl.

I feel the decision was made without a reasonable consideration of domestic abuse relationships and how they pose a different mental capacity during the time the person experiences it. I would agree with the dean’s decision if I was in a normal mental state during the period i failed – this has not been the case. I was a vicitum of domestic abuse, financial abuse by my loved ones; while suffering financial hardship from my spouse’s work injury. I would like the dynamic, research from family abuse and how this can affect a person’s behavior and cognitive abilities, and further ability to describe why it is difficult to succeed or pay attention to drop-deadlines. Furthermore, how experiencing this abuse is directly related to academic performance and the research that backs abuse victims with poor academic performance. I am a first-generation student, from a low-income family without support – and lost my only support I thought I had (my mother and sister) within a three month time period. I can obtain an affadavit upon request from a lawyer to back up my claim of the events that incurred. I also request I am given the opportunity to provide further evidence of what I claim if required to assist in the decision making process. I have to limit what I send now, as it is diffcult to re-hash and results in a costly therapist appointment when i do so.

I do not believe my petition should have been denied, on the basis of the lack of evidence, when taking into consideration domestic violence and how that can impact a student, as well as the petition being denied as I did not take deadline drop into account. It is difficult to do well in school or pay attention to deadlines while homeless, without food, or without money.

I am going to attach proof of my lease with my sister (Cassandra Wright), an N11 (early end of lease) from living with my sister dated for the end of July 2023. This verifies my living situation and helps assist to back up that I had to leave. During the overlap of moving, I slept in my car due to how unsafe the home was. I will attach screenshots of my discussions with my mother dated October 2023 when I experienced gaslighting and further financial abuse. I will attach proof my spouse was taken off work. This can be used to verify what I state, along with further explanation of the events.

I can provide references for how abuse can affect rational thinking, and an affadavit from a lawyer if needed be to back up that I would swear under oath that what I am stating is true, and assists in addressing the dean’s reason’s for denial – a lack of specific events/timeline to prove the extenuating circumstances affecting my academic ability along with the inability to logically think about drop dates whilst basic necessities were a concern.

Since then, I have been taking ongoing therapy – and since June of 2024 have been taking weekly therapy. I have cut contact with my sister completely and cut financial contact with my mother off with limited verbal contact outside of this. I have enrolled in extra-curricular activities to aid in further helping my mental health and increased my discussions with academic advising. I have noted drop dates and dropped courses as needed to do this.

The denial of my request is greatly impacting my mental health as it feels as if my abusers got what they have verbally stated they wanted – me to lose everything. I am unable to justify my current housing if not in school, and therefore am going to lose that, likely causing my inability to return to studies in September 2025 or at all. This is creating distress for me. I worked very hard in Spring of 2024 and it was not useful as my progress is reverting from loosing my education.

My extenuating circumstances that impacted my performance in Summer and fall of 2023 are now resolved.

I have emphasized my academic plan to academic advisors, worked with it with my therapists, and my financial planning. I obtained a position at work that is permenant to allow for stability financially. I installed an office workplace in my home for my study area for quiet and peace. I enrolled in weekly therapy. I work with academic advising weekly to discuss my options. I had developed a stragety prior to this that allowed me to prioritized my education; with my job even stating they would allow weekend only work so I am able to take in-person classes eventually or on-campus exams. I want to execute this academic plan. I am on remeron for my anxiety and the medication is greatly helping. I have cut all ties with my sister and no longer have financial ties with anybody but myself. I show my success by dropping courses in Spring 2024 that I needed to, as my academic plan was working more and more each day until my education was revoked for a year.

I apologize for the length. This is my final attempt to show my extenuating circumstances and the severe impact on the timeline it specifically affected me, and therefore i tried to keep it concise while still ensuring I have written what I am hopeful to write.

I respect my peers, the dean associate, and all decisions that are made. I do feel this decision was made without given the ability to provide additional evidence or with the research that exists to show why I was unwell and able to follow timeline.

Please reach out if you require more proof of what I state. I am attaching proof to verify the timeline of events above, but can provide more evidence if needed. I did attach proof of my sister’s abuse to some degree, but can provide more upon request. I did not provide any additional proof of her specifically abusing me in this as it is difficult to re-hash. I tried to gather the evidence needed to verifiy the timeline of events through the legal documentation (leases) and proof of injury/financial abuse texts from my mother as many conversations were over the phone. Please allow me to further provide documentation if needed.

I ask that I am able to attend Queen’s in September of 2024, and I would be willing to take weekly academic advising courses, do only repeat courses of previously failed, or take only 2-3 classes for this upcoming term to ease into it and show I can be succesful.



Thank you for your time. With respect.

Madison.