Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Sue Blake, Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing the final grades given to me in PSYC 215, PSYC 221, PSYC 203, and PSYC 235B which were taken in the Winter 2016 semester. I would ask that alternative grades be considered for these courses as the extenuating circumstances outlined below interfered with my ability to excel in my academic pursuits. Therefore I ask that grades more consistent with my previous performance be substituted for the ones I received in the Winter 2016 term.

The Winter 2016 Term was scheduled to commence on Monday, January 4th 2016. On December 31, 2015 my wife was skating and had an accident which resulted in her breaking her ankle and requiring surgery. The procedure and subsequent care she required that followed prevented me from attending the better part of the first three weeks of class. As my wife is the breadwinner of our family while I attend Queens, and had already been on medical leave since the end of November 2015, this injury caused severe financial strain on our family. This strain restricted my ability to purchase textbooks for some of my classes, as well as prevented me from being able to afford to commute to Queens from Brockville where we live. Since we do not live near family, it was necessary that I miss classes to take her to any checkups and doctor¿¿s appointments that she had, which further hindered my academic performance.
As my wife was beginning to heal and require less care, my father had a heart attack in February which led to him having an emergency quadruple bypass a few days later. This was an enormously stressful situation which further diminished my ability to perform academically and wore on my psychological well-being. In addition to these events, my wife¿¿s mother had brain surgery shortly after my wife got out of the hospital in January, which resulted in more stress and more time spent in the hospital.
All these events provided significant stress and strain on both my time and resources. This left me with less time to devote to my academic pursuits than I otherwise would have devoted, and fewer resources to use to ensure the quality of my academic work. At the time of these events I spoke with my professors about the missed classes and was told, in most cases, how since final grades were taken from the highest 90 of all assignments (i.e. best 18 of 20 quizzes, or top 4 of 5 assignments) that the missed classes should be redeemable. However, had I not missed these classes my lowest marks would have been higher which would contribute to my final grade. I also spent significant time speaking with my Pastor, seeking support and advice on stress management.
Should I be granted this appeal, I plan to work hard to make up any lost time in my degree plan or damage done to my academic performance. I have currently chosen to defer enrolment in the Fall 2016 semester to continue to work towards furthering my education at Queens after the financial setback of early this year. I also plan to take courses over the Summer 2017 semester to make up lost time and credits in my degree plan.
Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to your response,

Sincerely,

Noah Mills