Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I was a student at Queen's from 1992 to 1998. After failing to complete my degree within the required time, I was subject to a Requirement to Withdraw for a Minimum of Three Years. It has now been 18 years and I would like to request that the requirement to withdraw be waived so that I may, finally, complete my degree.

Since leaving Queen¿¿s for the last time, I would like to think that, for the most part, I¿¿ve made good use of my time.

In 2000, I successfully completed a college-level diploma course as a Computer Programmer Analyst from CDI College in Kingston. An individualized and, largely, self-guided program, I completed the program 2 months ahead of schedule and with a cumulative average of 90.

From October 1999 to December 2002, I was a civilian member of the Kingston Police as a 911 Operator / Dispatcher. I have attended the Ontario Police College twice - once for training on the CPIC system; and a second time in my capacity as an elected Director of the Kingston City Police Association where I studied the police complaints resolution process as provided by the Ontario Police Services Act. Following completion of this course, I was qualified to provide advice to any member involved, as well as to act as a Hearing Officer, in the disciplinary process provided for by the Act.

In late 2002, my now-wife was presented with a unique opportunity to relocate to the United Kingdom for work and we decided that I would go with her. We made the move in January 2003, settling in Nottingham. After we were married, my status in the UK was changed to ¿¿work-permit dependent¿ and I joined the Nottinghamshire Police, working in the Criminal Justice Unit, acting as a liaison between the Crown Prosecution Service and witnesses due to attend Magistrates¿¿ Court.

We came home to Canada in May 2005 and settled in the Greater Toronto Area. After some initial difficulty finding employment, I was able to secure some temporary work in a technical support call-centre before finding a permanent position in the GTA office of a small, Northern Ontario-based construction company. After almost 3 years with this company, my position was eliminated.

While unemployed, I volunteered a considerable amount of my time to supporting a friend and managing her campaign for office in the municipal election of 2010. I also designed the candidate¿¿s website and produced all of her brochures, flyers and signs. Additionally, I provided IT support to the candidate and her other volunteers, when needed. I provided similar services for her re-election effort in 2014 and when she ran federally in 2015.

Since November 2012, I have been working as an Operations Clerk for a small GTA freight forwarder. I know that there are other things that I could be doing and that I would love to pursue but completing my Queen¿¿s degree would be the first step. My wife earned her Applied Science degree from Queen¿¿s (Sci ¿¿98) and is now an Engineering Manager at a leading rail signalling company so I am reminded every day of the value and advantage of an education from Queen¿¿s University.

Regardless of the outcome of this appeal, my time at Queen¿¿s was hardly wasted. It is because of Queen¿¿s that I found the love of my life and, together, we have gone places and seen things that I would never have even dreamed of. All things considered, I think I have done very well. Still, the greatest disappointment that I have endured is my failure to complete my degree at Queen¿¿s. In recent years, I have had more than ample opportunity to review my resume and contemplate where I have been and what I have done -- or not done. The one thought that keeps coming back to me is: ¿¿Maybe, it¿¿s not too late.¿

I am convinced that my failure at Queen¿¿s was not a function of ability, but rather of focus. My, early history at Queen¿¿s, my success at CDI College, and the experience I have gained since leaving Queen¿¿s should demonstrate that I have the requisite ability and maturity that will motivate me to stay focused on the goal of successfully completing my post-secondary education.

It is my fervent hope that you will consider granting me a second chance by waiving the requirement to withdraw. It is important to me that I be permitted to close this chapter of my life on a positive note. As a young student, I became very good at coming up with reasons not to do something; I would like this experience to be about demonstrating that I have grown into someone who understands, perhaps better than most, the reasons why I should.

I thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from your soon.