Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am requesting to
(a) Drop a Class after the Last Official Date for Dropping Classes
(b) Credit standing
Throughout this academic year, I experienced several significant personal and medical challenges that affected my academic performance despite my best efforts to remain engaged and succeed in my courses. I have outlined these circumstances below in chronological order and will provide supporting documentation for most of these events.
At the end of the first semester, I became quite ill and attended a walk-in clinic on December 11th, 2025 (CDK Family Medicine and Walk-in Clinic), where I was diagnosed with the flu. The attending physician excused me from academic activities for three days. I completed the required paperwork to defer my Political Science (POLS 111) exam, and my request was approved, with the exam deferred to January 17th, 2026. Unfortunately, before the deferred exam date, I experienced another bout of the flu. Despite being extremely unwell and unprepared, I still completed the exam, which was reflected in my final mark.
Early in the second semester, on February 22nd, 2026, I contacted my residence don, who then involved Residence Support regarding a situation involving another student. During this time, I spoke with Sophia, who was the residence life co-ordinator on call.
This individual continually harassed me, my friends, and members of my family to the point where I no longer felt safe and returned home for approximately one week. Although this student later left Queen’s University, the harassment continued through various forms of communication.
I attended the Kingston Police Station on March 3rd, 2026, and filed a police report for Criminal Harassment (File Number 11504). The officer subsequently cautioned this individual and cautioned her to have no further contact with me. Although direct communication ceased, she continued contacting my friends regularly. At the time, I was advised that Academic Services would be informed of the situation.
On March 2, 2026, my father was hospitalized with what was initially believed to be liver failure and later underwent emergency surgery. I briefly returned home to support my family during this difficult time.
While I was home supporting my family, the individual who had been harassing me continued contacting my friends and spreading false and harmful allegations about me. This situation caused me considerable emotional distress and constant concerns for my personal safety, which significantly impacted my mental health and ability to focus academically. The stress also affected me physically - I struggled to eat and sleep, experienced significant weight and hair loss, and ultimately required an emergency room visit on March 5th, 2026. It was during this period that I missed submitting a Health assignment.
Following these events, I located a psychotherapist who could provide virtual treatment, and I began regular therapy sessions. She has provided documentation to help support and qualify my circumstances.
On March 20, 2026, Doctors at Kingston General Hospital diagnosed me with a severe kidney infection. I was prescribed powerful antibiotics, as physicians were also concerned the condition could potentially involve appendicitis. I was instructed to significantly reduce my activities and rest. I was advised to return to the emergency department immediately if my symptoms worsened or failed to improve, as surgery could become necessary. I have requested copies of the medical records related to this visit and the subsequent follow-up, although I have been advised that processing may take approximately 30 days (the request was made on May 20th, 2026).
On March 22, 2026, I returned to Kingston General Hospital due to severe kidney pain. Because of the lengthy wait time, I was advised to return the following day. By then, my symptoms had temporarily subsided, and I did not re-attend.
On April 6, 2026, after spending Easter dinner with my family, I again began experiencing significant pain. I attended a walk-in clinic (Square One Health Group) as my family Doctor was not available. It was then that I was informed that the antibiotics prescribed in Kingston weren’t effective and that the kidney infection had returned. I was prescribed another strong antibiotic, which caused several severe side effects over the following days.
During this period, I submitted a paper that was due for my Health course despite being extremely unwell. The day of my final exam, I discovered that the file I had submitted was mistakenly the assignment template rather than the completed paper I had written, resulting in a grade of zero. I fully acknowledge that this mistake was my responsibility; however, due to my physical illness and emotional distress at the time, I was not functioning at my normal capacity.
Throughout these circumstances, I made every effort to remain proactive and maintain communication with my professors and teaching assistants. I emailed them to explain my situation and met with them to discuss ways to stay on track with assignments and examinations whenever possible. I also reached out to Academic Services for support during the year.
Attending Queen’s University has been an important personal and academic goal of mine for many years. I have long aspired to become a lawyer and have always had a strong interest in politics and public affairs.
The past several months have been extremely difficult both personally and academically. I now participate in weekly therapy sessions to better address past trauma and support my mental health moving forward. I have also been attending regular medical check-ups and follow-ups with my family Doctor. While I cannot predict future health concerns, I believe the significant emotional stress and ongoing personal challenges I experienced this year weakened my physical health and contributed to my repeated illnesses.
I am committed to achieving academic success. I intend to make use of any additional academic supports available to me, including mentoring opportunities and study programs that will help me succeed. I am requesting permission to drop my Health course to improve my GPA and better reflect my academic abilities during a year impacted by exceptional circumstances.
Although I currently do not meet the requirements to pursue a major in Political Science, I would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate that these circumstances are not reflective of my true capabilities or potential. I am confident that, if given the opportunity, I can and will perform significantly better next year.