Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Letter: Dear Board of Studies,

I am appealing the Associate Dean, Scott-Morgan Straker’s decision to deny my First-Level appeal to waive my Academic Withdrawal for 3 years. In my previous appeal, I had spoken about two incidents during my academic probation that have caused a falter in my academics. The first incident was two back to back robberies in my house that occurred during my Winter 2023 exam season that I was forced to take care of due to the fact that my parents live overseas now. The Associate Dean had noted the Academic Petition and Appeal Regulation 1.7.1.8 but I had included Case ID, event number and contact information of the detective that was overseeing the case of the robberies for confirmation. I will include the information in this letter as well, the case ID for the break in is 648378, the event number is 23-726952 with Detective Ed Adich, his contact number is (437)-995-0043 and badge is 6315. As for the second incident that took place mainly during Winter 2025, I was unable to provide proof of my parent’s divorce in my previous appeal as their divorce has not been finalized yet, with ongoing back and forth between them to come to a settlement. Initially, I was hit with a sense of shame due to my unsuccessful academic career so far and did not know how to tell anyone in my family without feeling further shame. Since my initial appeal, I had finally built up the courage to confide about my academic standing with a family member, my cousin, who was more than willing to provide a letter confirming the extenuating circumstances beyond my control.
Another point that Dr Scott-Morgan Straker had brought up is the lack of appropriate support in place to manage ongoing challenges currently in place, I had mentioned I have been trying to find a counselor that is suitable and feel comfortable confiding and have offered to keep the registrar in the loop during the course of my academic studies to ensure I am staying on top of my mental well being to prevent academic setbacks. I included in my plan of actions to apply for academic consideration in order to manage deadlines (something I admittedly had not done in my previous academic years). I also provided proof of my leasing agreement of an apartment I am currently paying the rent of through saved up funds with only my name on the lease to prove I have moved out of my family’s environment even in Toronto (as it is the city I live in and is home when I am not in Kingston for university). Though it may not seem like much, it was a difficult decision to detach my family during this difficult time but it was a necessary step for me to assert boundaries in order to prevent further setbacks in life. I can only bank on my future to be able to create a living for myself and my education plays a key role in this. I had not dropped the necessary courses last semester (the time frame I had the worst academic and mental struggle due to familial issues) as SPAN 111 and ECON 243 were repeated courses I took to try and fix my GPA, if I had dropped my courses, I would have been under the threshold for the academic probation to be lifted so I had kept the courses and tried my best to juggle my personal and academic life. I understand that I have not been an ideal Queen’s University student and it takes a lot more discipline than I have portrayed so to be a successful alumni but I am willing to put in all my effort and dedication to undo my previous shortcomings if given the chance. I truly believe I have created an environment for myself where I can peacefully shift my focus towards myself and my future only. I want to thank the Board of Studies for taking the time to read my letter and giving me a second chance to try and win my future back.

Best Regards,
Zaina Chowdhury