Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Petition to Associate Dean (Academic)

March 6, 2026

Re: Mei Thomas Mann, Student # 2026561
Petition to Defer DEVS 260 Exam

I am writing to petition the deferral of my final exam in DEVS 260.

I have been studying Political Science at Queens since September 2021. I am registered in QSAS and have several accommodations related to my disability. I began the fall 2025/26 term enrolled in the final three courses I needed to complete my BA (DEVS 260, POLS 367 and HIST 295).

From October 25th until November 11th, 2025, I became increasingly unwell due to a serious medication error between my new doctor and my pharmacy in Kingston. The medication error was only discovered on November 12th when I sought medical help due to the severity of my symptoms.

On November 12th I was instructed to immediately stop all medication, and my parents brought me home to Toronto as I was too unwell to manage by myself in Kingston. I was advised by my doctor to remain off school until November 28th, and this timeline was later extended to December 31st. I saw my doctor weekly from Nov 12-December 13 to monitor and manage my condition. During this time, I remained at home in Toronto with my parents to support my recovery. I share this to reinforce the severity of the situation and the impact it had on my health as well as the time required for recovery.

In the year prior to this medical incident, I had been struggling with my medications and side effects, and I had no consistent medical care having been unenrolled from my paediatrician. Despite the considerable impacts of this I persevered to successfully complete my coursework throughout the 24/25 school year including taking courses in the summers of 2024 and 2025. I am sharing this to demonstrate my level of commitment to succeeding at Queen’s, to completing my degree, and to managing by disabilities as well as possible. My conditions include ADHD, Anxiety and Depression.

DEVS260 Timelines
I emailed Professor Kukreja on November 17th to let her know of the medical emergency I was experiencing and to seek an extension on my course research assignment. I emailed Professor Kukreja again on December 10th to request a deferral for the December 15th exam.

During this same time period I was communicating regularly with Toni Thornton, my QSAS advisor, and the professors for my HIST and POLS courses for which I also put in place deferrals and accommodations to allow me to complete course requirements.

I resumed my studies on Jan 2nd from my home in Toronto with plans in place for completing HIST 295 and POLS 367. I was able to complete HIST 295 on January 23rd. I anticipate completing POLS 367 in late March. I am currently completing my DEVS 260 research paper which will be submitted on March 15th.

My petition is to request a deferral for the DEVS 260 exam. It was not possible for me to complete the exam on January 18th for the following reasons:
1. I required more time to prepare for the DEVS 260 exam after returning to school on January 2nd given the length of my illness and the amount of class time I had missed.
2. When I returned to school in January, discussions between QSAS, Professor Kukreja and myself about options to complete DEVS260 were underway but unresolved. I had positive indications from QSAS and Professor Kukreja that the course could be completed; but not specific guidance about what was expected for the exam.
3. Instructions in Ventus were confusing. The deferred exam was scheduled for January 18th but Ventus indicated the date was pending and that I would be notified of updates. I continued to check on this in Ventus, but I did not receive any updates. I did my best to follow up, writing to my QSAS Advisor on January 13th and to Professor Kukreja on January 28th to get clarification.
4. I did not have access to DEVS 260 course material in onQ until February 28th, making it impossible for me to study for the exam or to complete the research paper. I reached out to Professor Kukreja in January and at the beginning of February to ask for access to the course materials but was declined. My QSAS advisor subsequently followed up with Professor Kukreja and I was eventually granted access on February 28th for a 2 week period ending on March 15th.

I have attached relevant emails between me, Ms. Thornton and Professor Kukreja confirming this chronology. Documentation from my doctor is also attached.

I sincerely hope you will consider my request. Due to a serious and unforeseen illness, I was unable to complete the fall term. I acted promptly to work with QSAS and my Professors and I have been working diligently to complete these final requirements for my degree.

I want to thank everyone for the accommodations and support I have received to help me thus far. I truly appreciate the time and effort Professor Kukreja and Toni Thornton have committed to figuring out a solution for DEVS 260.
Thank you for your consideration of this petition.

Sincerely,
Mei Thomas