Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Associate Dean Dr. Bénard,

I am appealing to be given a CR status for the marks earned in Environmental Physiology of Animals (BIOL 322, taken Winter 2017), Pathophysiology (PHGY 355, taken Fall 2016) and Comparative Biochemistry (BIOL 334, taken Fall 2016).

On May 7th, 2016, my good friend, Brett Cameron, committed suicide unexpectedly. Brett was not only a good friend but was also engaged to be married to my housemate, Sarah Cookson. Having never experienced such a loss or such a large amount of grief, this tragedy was difficult to get through. Sarah and I leaned on each other throughout the summer for emotional support and comfort; However, she moved back to London at the end of the summer because there was no further reason for her to be in Kingston. Shortly after she left my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. When the school year started, I found myself struggling more with focusing on school and maintaining my emotional well-being. When I went to seek help from Counselling Services, I was told that there was a very long wait, and I failed to follow up as I was feeling defeated. I continued on the school year trying my best to excel academically, since that is what I wanted. Luckily, I passed all of my classes and have been able to move on to, what will hopefully be, my final and graduating year at Queen¿¿s. I believe that, although I have had low marks in the past, my attendance in class and completion of assignments throughout the year show that laziness is not the reason for these grades. It has now been 15 months since Brett¿¿s passing, and I have had more time to pass through the grieving stage. Although I have not sought professional help, I have spent time discussing my feelings with close friends and family, as well as academic advisors, and feel that time and talking have helped my mental well-being return to a more normal state.

Academically, the finish line is close for me, and I can not wait to see what the world has in store for me after Queen¿¿s University. If I am granted this appeal, the cumulative GPA for my core courses will reach a high enough level that I would be permitted to take my fourth year seminar courses, which at the moment I do not qualify for. If given the opportunity to take these fourth year courses, I will be able to graduate at the end of the upcoming school year with a Bachelor of Science Honours ¿¿ Biology. If extenuating circumstances were to occur again, I would make sure to follow through on making an appointment with Counselling Services in order to maintain a good mental well-being in order to succeed academically.

Please take my request into consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you,

Kristen Murray
10160356