Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Stephenson,

I am writing to you today because I was recently sent a letter outlining my requirement to withdraw due to poor academic standing. My request I am making does go beyond just wanting to waive the requirement to withdraw. I would also like to request that the F grades on my transcript also be wiped so that I may have a total fresh start and not need to fight my way back out of the deficit in my grade point average. I would like to outline the reason for this poor performance and hope to explain how I plan to recover from this.

I would first like to outline the circumstances that lead to this outcome. There were three prominent issues that led to my poor academic performance. First being a diagnosis of severe depression that I had in late 2020. This diagnosis came about from a mix of factors including; isolation due to covid restrictions, online academics, and an underlying issue stemming from abuse that I suffered at the hands of my emotionally and physically abusive father. These mix of factors led to my poor performance in 2020-2021. I made contact with Queens on this topic at the time and had my record wiped which I hoped at the time would help me get back on track. Unfortunately as helpful as this was, two other issues overroad this solution. This leads me to the second issue, undiagnosed A.D.H.D. . I had previously been treated early in highschool for A.D.D. but never received a full diagnosis until 2022. The treatment I was on stopped when highschool did but the problem persisted. Due to the fact that I had no formal diagnosis I could not apply for the relevant learning accommodations through Ventus. I plan on providing full and updated documentation for both of these health issues for your consideration as well as to submit it for accommodations through Ventus. This is one issue however, I was only able to schedule an appointment with my doctor on the 17th of June which is past the deadline for my appeal so I am submitting this letter now knowing it will likely be put on hold till the documents are submitted. The third Issue had the greatest effect on my academics. This issue being that my as previously mentioned above emotionally and physically abusive father attempted to force his way back into my life against my will. This started in late 2021 and continued into the start of 2023. Starting with phone calls, emails and texts. Once I had blocked those outlets of contact he moved onto letters sent to my home on kingston. I kept this information from the rest of my family as I did not want him to also affect them as well and I thought I could handle this issue on my own. I do not feel comfortable discussing the details of what he said but it took a major toll on my mental health. I tried my best to continue schooling through this but was unsuccessful. Every time I thought I was in the clear and could return to normal life he would make contact again. This is what led to me constantly adding and dropping courses and made it difficult to function in the classes I did not drop.
Now that I have outlined the reasons for my poor performance I would like to outline how I plan to make sure that I can recover from these issues and push through them so I may find success in my academics. I have done many things in preparation for this coming year to make it a turning point for me. The first one I have done is go on medications to help mitigate the issues related to my depression and A.D.H.D.. These medications have proved very helpful in the past and in the current time. I have also quit my long time summer job to pursue courses this summer as a vector to help me catch up on the courses I have not completed. I have also spoken with QSAS and the academic aid services to help set out a plan and accommodations to help me in the coming years. Last but certainly not least I am planning on reaching out to a therapist to help me work through some of my issues and they will also be able to help me form strategies and habits to improve my mental health so I may better excel at my academic goals.
In summary I would like to waive the requirement to withdraw and if possible wipe the F grades from my transcript so that I may have the fresh start I need to succeed. I will be submitting doctors documentation from ADHD and depression as soon as I can as well.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jonathan Gryphon Hulton-Meade.