Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Naaman,


I am writing to appeal the request to withdraw for one year, which I received in May due to not reaching a cumulative GPA of at least 1.6 while on Academic probation. Over this past academic year I have dealt with mental health challenges, including chronic depression and anxiety. This year has been particularly challenging to me due to two main events. In the Fall term, my boyfriend was diagnosed with a chronic illness which has caused me to divert attention away from school in order to help him. In the Winter term there was a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, BC. I went to high school in Tumbler Ridge and the tragedy affected me deeply. These circumstances have made it substantially more difficult for me to complete my schoolwork, leading to me achieving grades which were lower than my expectations for myself.


I took steps to deal with my depression and anxiety by taking anti-depressant medication and attending therapy sessions, both through Student Health & Wellness and through a third party. My boyfriend has become more independent with regards to his illness, allowing me to focus more on my studies, and substantial time has passed since the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, and so it causes me less distress now.


In the last few months of the Winter term my mental health improved; I worked hard and managed to pass both courses which I was taking at the time (CHEM 222 and MUSC 258). I believe my consistent efforts both with medication and therapy will continue to improve my situation, which is why I am confident that I will continue to achieve better grades. Thus I believe that if I am given a chance to go back to school next year and take more courses, I will do well enough to achieve a 1.6 cumulative GPA by the end of the Winter term. More details on how I plan to make changes to do this are found in my Academic Plan.

I would be grateful for the opportunity to return to study at Queen’s next year.


All the best,

Kokoa Fujimaki