Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Nana Donkor
39 Dundas Street
Kingston, Canada, K7L 1N4
10139479

March 24th, 2017

Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen's University
99 University Avenue
Kingston, Canada, K7L 3N6

RE: Grade change request for BCHM 315

Dear Associate Dean (Studies),

I am writing this letter to request a credit standing (CR) in place of the C I received for the course: Proteins and Enzymes (BCHM 315) taken during the fall term of 2016.
The amount of workload I had to endure during the fall term was immense, but I was determined to excel in all of my courses especially for the BCHM 315 final exam. Prior to writing the final exam for this course, I was at an A standing (88), but due to certain circumstances, I received a final grade of a C, which was updated on Solus March 6th, 2017. I was extremely devastated to receive this mark as it was not reflective of what I am capable of achieving academically. The final grade I received for this course was due to certain circumstances that were beyond my control.

On December 7th of 2016 the day of my BCHM 315 exam, I received a phone call from back home (Ghana) that 2 of my family members had died in a house fire which occurred on December 5th. These individuals were influential in motivating me to establish a Non-Governmental Organization called GIRLS FOR PROGRESS, which was to help children overcome educational and financial barriers. This heartbreaking news did not only affect me emotionally, but mentally as well. As a result, I was unable to focus and was in complete disarray while writing the exam. Due to this unfortunate event, it greatly impacted my final grade for this course.

This grade has affected me mentally, even to this day as I do occasionally become severely depressed. However, I do plan to cope with this depression by seeking help at the Queen's Student Wellness Services. I believe that if I had not received the phone call the day of my exam, I could have possibly achieved a much higher grade as my final grades for the other courses I took during the fall term of 2016 were at a GPA of 3.7 and above. I hope that due to these circumstances I'll be able to receive a CR in place of the C. Due to this unfortunate event, my family has been trying greatly to cope with the loss. This has resulted in the delayed retrieval of the supporting documents for this appeal. I have enclosed a copy of a letter from the head of the family as well as the funeral poster for the deceased family members'. Thank you for considering my request. You can contact me via email at 13nd27@queensu.ca or through phone at 6479798216.

Sincerely,
Nana Donkor
Student Number: 10139479
List of Enclosures: Letter from the head family member, Funeral Poster of the deceased