Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing this appeal with the aim to drop three courses past the academic deadline, HIST 212 (Fall 2015), HIST 206 (Winter 2016), and HIST 201 (Winter 2016). Due to extenuating circumstance, I was unable to particulate meaningfully and complete these courses to the best of my academic ability.

In the fall of 2014, my mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma, terminal brain cancer. I took the majority of the 2014-2015 school year off, and was intending to complete the remainder of my degree this school year. However, my mother¿¿s condition worsened severely in the Fall of 2015 after she suffered multiple strokes. With an understanding that I would likely be travelling back home often to see her, in the Fall 2015 semester I enrolled in only two courses. I was able to compete one of these courses, HIST 400, and did very well. I owe my successful completion of this course largely to the flexibility and understanding granted me my Professor Manley. It should also be noted that at the beginning of both semesters of this school year, I contacted all of my Professors to inform them of my situation.

My mother passed away during the Winter 2016 semester.

Owing in large part to the stress caused by my mother¿¿s illness, I developed an eating disorder.
Over the course of my mother¿¿s illness, I was forced to take an increased and active role in managing my families finances which made it difficult to finish my academic work. In the winter semester particularly, my mother¿¿s death caused my mental health to deteriorate, making it extremely difficult to focus and complete much of my course work. Because I was able to finish some course work in HIST 399 and HIST 209, my intention is to contact Professor Dueck and Professor Aivalis and ask for a mark of ¿¿Incomplete¿¿, with the intention of completing the remainder of the course work in the summer of 2016.

I have been in contact with my family doctor, Dr. Deborah Wilkes-Whitehall, throughout the course of my mother¿¿s illness. With her assistance, I have entered into an Eating Disorder program at Hotel Dieu in an effort to move forward and address these mental health related issues. At the beginning of the semester I was receiving counselling from Hagar Prah, a former Outreach Counsellor and Student Advisor at Queen¿¿s University. With her recent departure from the University early in the winter semester, I have been without a counsellor. My intention is to contact Health and Disability Services to set up a counselling.

I am asking the Associate Dean consider my extenuating circumstances and drop these courses my transcript so that I can begin to move forward academically and do so without undue penalization.

Thank kindly you for your consideration and time,

Tess Hopkins