Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing the Faculty's decision regarding my desire to attend York University's Glendon Campus through the visiting program for my 3rd year of studies from September 2016 to April 2017. I have come to this decision due to a number of circumstances that have greatly affected my mental health and studies this year, which have occurred specifically during my second semester at Queens. These extenuating circumstances, beyond my control, have resulted in my desire to move back to Toronto and study at home for a year, which I believe have and will negatively affect my final grades. Firstly, the friendship choices I have made during my first year at the Castle have left me feeling isolated and alone in Kingston, as I have found it hard to adjust to my new environment and make new friendships. I had originally found a house for September 2016 and planned on signing the lease for said property. However, this did not work out due to my friend's desire to no longer continue her studies and leave Ontario. Therefore, this has greatly affected me, as I have no one else to live with and has triggered ongoing psychological and negative body image challenges that have been prevalent within me for a long time already. I am usually capable of coping with my mental illness, but I feel as though the stress of finding another housing accommodation as well as the challenges of having to live on my own are not worth the further psychological problems it will cause me, as I am currently facing these challenges on top of academic stress. I have come to the conclusion that it will be beneficial for me to return home for a year to solely focus on my studies, without the stress of said past circumstances, and to in the future return to Kingston to finish the fourth year of my French major honours degree. In conclusion, I have decided to take the unforeseen housing and friendship challenges as an opportunity to return home where I can be with my family and continue my Queens degree through the visiting program at Glendon. This change in environment will hopefully allow me to focus more closely on dealing with the psychological challenges within me that I have been repressing for a long time as I will be in an environment that will not negatively affect my academic success. I believe that once I have established a strong mental foundation I can return to Kingston a better person and finish my degree.
Thank you for your understanding and consideration,
Kimberly Bantula