Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Academic Dean,

My name is Mikayla Quigley, and I am a third-year student pursuing a joint honours degree in Global Development Studies and Political Studies. I am writing to request a waiver of the petition deadline for an Incomplete (IN) grade in my Fall term course, DEVS 411.

DEVS 411 is the second and final component of the DEVS 410/411 internship course. I completed DEVS 410 during the summer of 2024 through two volunteer internships, and DEVS 411 is essential to receiving credit for that work. Without the opportunity to complete this course, I risk losing all of the academic credit I’ve already earned, which would also have serious financial consequences. This situation has become even more urgent, as I was recently awarded a bursary that is contingent on the successful completion of my current courses. I had not previously understood the full extent to which failing or dropping this course would impact my academic record and financial stability. I want to emphasize that I am entirely financially independent and also have people who rely on me. The potential loss of credits and scholarship funding would represent a significant personal and financial setback.

Over the past year, I have faced several extenuating personal circumstances that made it extremely difficult to complete the course on schedule. Because DEVS 411 is a reflective course grounded in our internship experiences, it was particularly challenging to engage with the content while processing trauma related to that period in my life. That said, I have been deeply committed to helping myself heal. I needed time to reach a place where I could return to the course material in a safe and constructive way. I was referred to Queen’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services and have received consistent support from a counsellor. With time and ongoing care, I now feel capable of completing the remaining coursework and have already made significant progress, with many of the assignments already completed.
Should this appeal be granted, I will submit a formal petition for an Incomplete and commit to finishing the remaining course requirements by the end of the summer term. This would allow me to begin my fourth year with renewed focus, stability, and a clear path forward, both personally and academically.
From academic, financial, and personal perspectives, I am deeply committed to completing this course and would be sincerely grateful for your understanding and support in granting this request.

Sincerely,


Mikayla Quigley

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