Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,

On December 1, 2015, I found out that I¿¿m pregnant. Because I am not sexually active, nor have I ever been, this news was a great shock to me. There was one night in the summer when I was at a bar with my friends and periods of the night are missing from my memory. I continued on from that night without suspicion until recently, and have now concluded that although I don¿¿t remember it, this was definitely the night that I became pregnant. I am disclosing this personal information to emphasize the uniqueness of my situation; I thought it was literally impossible for me to become pregnant.

So, since finding out on December 1, I have been trying to digest this information while finishing assignments and studying for exams. I have left my life in Kingston, have found a sublet for my room, and have moved to my parents¿¿ home. I feel that moving home provides an environment of health, support, and comfort much more than the environment of student living could provide. With only one semester left in my university education, I am back living with my parents - something I certainly didn¿¿t anticipate. I want to finish my degree. I need to do that from home, and preferably while the tiny and dependant human being is still inside of me.

I need 6.0 units in English and 3.0 units in Geography. I especially need to study these courses from a distance because Queen¿¿s doesn¿¿t offer seminar English classes at the 4th year level online and the only GPHY courses offered online at Queen¿¿s are 101 and 227, both of which I have already taken in a classroom. I know that returning to Kingston with a baby is practically out of the question; studying online would be easiest.

I have already spoken with the Undergrad Chairs of each of these departments at Queen¿¿s and they have approved courses ENGL 433 (6.0) and GOEG 302 (3.0) from Athabasca University. But, because I would have been able to transfer 6.0 units without appeal, I suppose I need to only tell you about one of the courses.

GEOG 302 is described as, ¿¿a senior-level undergraduate, three-credit course in human geography. It is suitable for students who are interested in the geography, culture, and sustainable development of Canada's North. It presents an overview of the human geography of the Canadian North covering diverse topics such as imaginings of the North; the biophysical features of Canada's North; the history of European exploration and contact with indigenous northern populations; Aboriginal culture and society; political developments in the North; and natural resource developments in this region and their environmental impacts. There are no prerequisites for this course, but because it is a senior undergraduate course, there is an expectation that students will have good skills in critical social analysis, cultural analysis, and writing. As well, while not required, some exposure to geographical analysis and concepts will benefit students.

As stated above, the Geography Department at Queen¿¿s has already approved this course as being suitable to my degree.

I believe that my circumstances are enough cause for this appeal to be granted. I hope you agree. My life has been changed in almost every way (physically, emotionally, situationally, etc..) and it has happened in a way that was without my knowledge and possibly without my consent. The baby is due in the middle of May. The deadline for registering for courses at AthabascaU is January 10th for students who are wanting to begin studying on February 1st. If I were able to start my studies on February 1st, I would have three months before I am overwhelmed with this new chapter of my life to complete these courses. If it is possible, I would hugely appreciate being able to begin on the first of February (meaning I would have to register by January 10th).