Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Johanne Bénard

I am writing to you to appeal for a retroactive withdrawal for PHIL 256 Existentialism, taught by Professor Deborah Knight.

On November 12th, a sudden decision by one of our housemates to drop out of university put our house in danger of splitting up and me having to find a new place to live. This created a hostile environment that was incredibly difficult to work in. All the sudden, I had to start house hunting in case our house did not find a way to pull it together. Everyone in the house was on edge, and since I am a person who doesn¿¿t work well at the library, my main work space was compromised. On November 14th I went home to do some shooting for my documentary class FILM 351 and did not return to the next day in order to talk face to face to my parents about. There was an assignment due on Monday the 16th, and my thought was that I would do it the day before when I returned. However, I was confronted with two of my housemates threatening to move out if we could not find a replacement for the first housemate. I ended up having an episode that night, and did not complete the assignment. I had a breakdown, and stopped going to all my classes. I spent a lot of my time searching for a new housemate among our friends and online, because above all I wanted to keep the house together. The next assignment was due on the 19th, and I was unable to complete this assignment as well. I am not very outgoing, and usually don¿¿t get stressed, so when I found myself breaking down, I never sought help for it, instead keeping it inside me like I do with most things. In the course, before all this happened, I was doing OK, with C+¿¿s on both of my prior assessments. However, after missing these two assignments, It was mathematically impossible for me to pass the course. I lost all motivation to participate in the course, and continued to work on my film courses. Deborah Knight can support my absence herself. Our house continued to be heated until early December, when the two housemates in question found a replacement to move in. This settled things down, and It became much easier for me to focus on work.

In all honesty, I am planning on transferring away from philosophy and into the film program at Queens. My failures in this course were not all in part to the circumstances surrounding them. They were also my own fault, as I had just lost interest in philosophy. Normally, I would just take the grade from this course despite the circumstances, and continue on with university. However, I have finally found something I am passionate about in the film program. I want to work hard and keep my GPA up so that I can transfer into it at the end of the year. It¿¿s the only thing I get excited about anymore. So with that being the case, I have confidence that if this course is dropped I will be able to get into film at the end of the year. I can continue taking courses that I actually enjoy and this will result in better grades, and a healthier lifestyle and mindset for me. I also plan on seeing an academic advisor in January to see how my transfer from philosophy to film is progressing.

In summary , high levels of stress in my housing/roommate situation , coupled with my passionate focus on my film course commitments resulted in absences and incomplete assignments that made it impossible for me to pass this course. A fail mark will be devastating to my strong wish to continue my studies in the film program.

Thank you for taking a look at my request. I look forward to hearing from you¿

Pat Sainsbury - 10090185

Here are some people who you can contact in relation to this appeal.

trevor.jve.smith@gmail.com - Trevor Smith is the student who dropped out in November, he is in Ecuador right now but should be able to respond to emails.

knightd@queensu.ca - Professor Knight teaches PHIL 256. She has indicated her willingness to support my appeal.

naamand@queensu.ca - Professor Naaman will vouch for my investment and passion in the film program.