Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: April, 5th, 2016

Associate Dean
Arts & Science Faculty
Queen¿¿s University

RE: Grade Appeal- Credit Standing for CHEM 282

Dear Associate Dean of Arts & Science Faculty,
I am appealing my grade for course CHEM 282 taught by Dr. John Carran taken in the 2014-2015 winter semester on the grounds of extenuating family circumstances during the time I was taking the course given that the 21 day appeal regulation will be waived.

The reason for my appeal is during the 2014-2015 academic year, my sister who was in Grade 12 of high school back in Calgary developed an eating disorder. Being on the opposite side of the country from her was very difficult as I could only go home twice a year during Christmas and summer. It was mentally exhausting for the entire family as we tried to talk to her, take her to counselling but all of those treatment options failed as she was unwilling to go. It worsened throughout the year as I witnessed her weight decreasing consistently. Due to this extenuating circumstance beyond my control, CHEM 282, a course that required a lot of effort and work and time to study was impacted severely as I could not focus and direct the proper attention needed to really learn the materials in this course. The reason I did not raise this issue with anyone at the time was that I did not realize the significant impact it had on my mental health and my ability to excel in my academic life. Furthermore, I was unaware of the 21 day appeal and did not think that an appeal was made possible for the grade that I received. Furthermore, after writing my finals, I flew back to Calgary immediately and all my mind was occupied with was my sister¿¿s health issues. It was not until this year, second semester when I realized how much of a toll this situation had on me, that I went to Health, Counselling & Disability at LaSelle and started speaking to a counsellor every week or every two weeks in trying to identify the problem and work towards a better mental state. We spoke about what happened with my sister, all the emotions that was associated with it and how it has impacted me, my family and her and how the dynamics of our relationships has been affected and more importantly how that has affected me. In order to succeed in future studies, I have made my mental health a priority by actively seeking the services offered by the school and regularly seeing my counsellor to better identify and seek a healthier approach to my mental abilities. My sister is now a first year student here at Queen¿¿s and had to take the first 6 weeks of second semester off due to her illness but now she is slowly recovering.

As a result of these difficulties, I am requesting an opportunity for a credit standing for CHEM 282 provided that the 21 day appeal regulation will be waived due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control due to my sister¿¿s eating disorder. Should you wish to contact me, I can be reached at 403-200-1658 or 12syc3@queensu.ca. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Shing Yiu (Yulia) Chan
10084219