Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Emily Harris
Student Number: 10101621
Email: 12eah3@queensu.ca
376 Alfred Street
Kingston, ON
K7K 4H7

September 15, 2016

Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen¿¿s University
99 University Ave
Kingston, ON
K7L 3N6

Re: Letter of Appeal

To whom it may concern,

I am appealing three final grades received in the Winter 2016 term. With this appeal, I am seeking credit standing in POLS 354 and LLCU 319 and a dropped grade in POLS 396.
The justification for this request is based on an unexpected event that took place mid-semester which led to significant psychological challenges. My specific extenuating circumstance took the form of a sexual assault that had unmanageable consequences. Following the incident, my mental health and academic abilities were extremely compromised. The grades I received don¿¿t allow me to confidently pursue opportunities for post-graduate studies or employment.
My assault took place in the middle of February. During the following week I didn¿¿t engage in anything social or academic. It wasn¿¿t until I felt my academics sliding to an unmanageable point that I sought assistance. I decided it might be necessary to drop a course or two in order to get through the semester. I met with Spring Forsberg-Lewis and she informed me of the appeal process and assured me that attempting to finish the semester with a full course load is the best option. She assured me that my incident hadn¿¿t taken me future from me. Additionally, she helped my schedule my first appointment with Queen¿¿s Student Wellness Services. To this day I can¿¿t express how much I appreciate Spring for helping me take that first step.
I met with a personal counselor several times throughout the rest of the semester. Documentation from this counselor will be attached as soon as possible. Opening up to this counselor was extremely helpful in my healing process. Unfortunately, even with this assistance, I was still unable to perform academically to an acceptable standard. Since the incident, my academic issues have stemmed from a difficulty to focus. It takes an excessively long time to grasp concepts and further analyzing these concepts becomes near impossible. The time commitment necessary to get through a small amount of work is more than I have ever experienced. This is largely owing to the fact that when I sit in silence I often reflect on the incident or just seem to stare absent-mindedly. White noise does help to drown it out while studying but this has proven to be an issue I can¿¿t fully silence. This incident had led to feelings of depression and increased anxiety that still largely affect my daily life.
Fortunately, as time as progressed, I¿¿ve been able to self-reflect and establish my own coping mechanisms. I¿¿m beginning to accept the incident rather than being in denial and every day it gets a little easier. My largest long-term goal associated with this is being able to openly speak about what happened to me, and possibly helping others who have experienced something similar. Unfortunately, recounting the details is still very difficult but I hope that in time I¿¿ll be able to turn this all into something positive.
My short-term goals consist of graduating on time with a high academic standing, as well as finding a new therapist in Kingston to further my healing. I¿¿ve discovered that maintaining a busy schedule (involving exercise, healthy eating, and social interactions) assists greatly with my personal mental state. I hope to continue with my healthy habits and consistently meet with a personal counselor throughout this school year. I refuse to allow this incident destroy my future. I will be taking an alternative POLS 300 level course to make up for the required credit that I did not get from POLS 369. Having these grades appealed gives me a chance to raise my overall average to an acceptable level that I can be proud of.
I appreciate your time and consideration in this matter.


Sincerely,

Emily Harris