Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean Studies,

I am appealing to have my Incomplete in DEVS 392 with Professor Villia Jefremovas continued into the summer. As well I am appealing for a credit standing in SPAN P10 with Max Lizano from first semester. The reason I am asking for an extension on my incomplete grade is because I have extenuating circumstances. They are the following. First term physically I had bronchitis as well my Mother was in an out of the hospital under life and death circumstances for those reasons I was granted my incomplete. Upon second semester I was hoping that my mother¿¿s condition would have stabilized but it has not. She has undergone invasive surgeries and has been in and out of hospital all of second semester up and continuing to the present date. With my mother¿¿s condition I have gone back and forth from Kingston to Toronto frequently. It has been very distracting physically, mentally and emotionally and time consuming. I have been so stressed since 1st semester I now experience acid reflux every single day. I have been to Hotel Dieu hospital and Lasalle for this. As well this has been very mentally and emotionally taxing. I have sought counselling weekly at Lasalle since Sept of 2015 and my counsellors can attest and will provide a letter of support for my circumstances. As well in addition to my mother¿¿s condition not getting better, I myself have been in and out of hospital preparing for a very invasive surgery that will work to better my physical health. For these reasons I was unable to complete DEVS 392 this second semester as they have been very distracting and proved to take up a lot of my time. The reason why I am asking for a credit standing in SPAN P10 this semester instead of last semester is because I had not heard of a credit standing at the time and had been very distracted with my extenuating circumstances. The reason I am appealing for a credit standing is because First semester my grades proved to be very good in everything I managed to have time for. I received a final grade of A in GNDS 211, A- in GNDS 212 and B+ in DEVS 230 and then SPAN P10 I received a C-. The reason my grades were substantially low in SPAN P10 is that I was stretching myself thin over my courses trying to juggle my extenuating circumstances. Also the timing of a lot of the examinations in that class, were bad timing during my extenuating circumstances i.e. making a trip to see my mother in hospital before the final exam, having bronchitis for 3 weeks before the midterm. That class if I had more time, and if the circumstances were different I believe I would have done absolutely great. I intend on staying in Queen¿¿s academically for a long time and do not want my GPA to take away opportunities I may seek in my future here at Queen¿¿s.
In regards to the future I have spoken with an academic counsellor Kathryn Morrissey as well as my counsellor Vanessa Schell at Lasalle about how I will successfully complete my incomplete this summer. When speaking to my academic counsellor we decided that this summer it is best I stay in Kingston in close proximity to my professor so I can finish up my last couple essays and consult with her if I have any questions. In addition I have spoken to my Professor Villia Jefremovas and she has given me her full support for this appeal and is confident I can complete the course this summer. As well since I am no longer in a full course load it is very reasonable to say I will complete my incomplete this summer, I will have lots of time to get it done. Lastly to prevent anything like this from happening again (especially considering first term I will still be recovering from a surgery that will take place in August) I am going to take a reduced course load in the fall and winter semester of next year. I have spoken with my counsellor Vanessa at Lasalle about my plans to finish DEVS 392 this summer, and my plans of a reduced course load and she agrees that my plan of action is realistic and solid. This summer and my following years at Queen¿¿s I will continue to go to Lasalle for mental health counselling as I find it very helpful with developing coping strategies and becoming the best version of myself I can be. I would deeply appreciate Queen¿¿s support with these two appeals, and thank you for your time and consideration.

Kind Regards,
Nadia Mahdi
10155382