Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Studies):

I am submitting an appeal for an extension of the incomplete grade for two half-year seminars from Winter 2017: History 400-003 and History 449. I was originally granted incomplete grades in these courses but I was unable to finish either of them over the summer due to extenuating circumstances and personal setbacks.

I suffered a personal setback in the spring of 2017. Last summer, I did the Explore program from July to August which helped me to flourish after a particularly difficult year. I did the program again at a different school from May to June where I unfortunately suffered a significant rebound with my medical issues.

I had been hoping to take a break from my Queen¿¿s schoolwork before having three months left in which I could fit in finishing my two courses. Instead, I spent a third of the summer recovering after the program ended. On a more positive note, I did complete two advanced French courses from Western in which I earned a B+ average. I already have enough elective credits to graduate from Queen¿¿s though.

I have attached a photo of a Verification of Illness from the winter term in which there is no expected recovery date. I experienced serious medical issues from January to March and had to see my doctor often. I had already registered with Accessibility Services based on these medical reasons before I obtained my VOI. My registration letters are attached. These serious medical issues prevented me from finishing my winter term on time despite accommodations and were why I sought out incompletes over the summer term.

I was living at my parents¿¿ home in Gatineau, QC after the Explore program ended in mid-June. Despite the distance, I made the train ride three times in July to see a counsellor at Student Wellness Services named Debbie (I have attached the six train tickets). I did not seek an updated Verification of Illness over the summer due to a desire to finish everything before September 15th. I have only recently realized how much time the recovery process required. I am hoping that the letter from Debbie will suffice in tandem with my earlier documentation.

My situation is different this year. I am no longer in Kingston as I only need these last two courses to graduate and did not foresee the setback. I am working at the Cégep de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, QC as an English Language Monitor. My role is to encourage francophone and allophone students to practice their conversational English. This is a part-time position (no more than 30 hours per week) with the Odyssey program run by the federal government. I was lucky to receive this intellectually stimulating position as they only require some university as opposed to a finished degree. It is common for students to work for this program during a gap year.

University has taken me a longer time to finish than anticipated. I have had innumerable personal difficulties. I am very close to finishing. After I saw Debbie, I was able to finish more than half of my outstanding work for History 400-003 before September 15th. I handed in a book review which is worth 30 and which received positive feedback from my professor. I also submitted an outline and a bibliography for the term paper which were approved by my professor. I just need to write out the eight to ten pages of the term paper to be finished with the last 30 of this course.

I do have 60 left on paper for History 449. However, this large number is deceiving as these two professors grade significantly based on participation. I attended the majority of my classes and participated heavily each time, even when I was only expected to participate heavily every second week. All that remains are three three-page papers in which I will put down what I have already learned onto paper.

My professor for History 400-003 is Dr. Schedrin. My professors for HIST 449 are Prof. Adelman and Prof. Husain, the latter who is currently on leave. Both Dr. Schedrin and Prof. Adelman have expressed support for an extension of the incomplete twice. The first time was in the spring. I was merely asking for an incomplete over the summer and they each independently told me that I could have longer than that if necessary. I believe this is because I work hard at being a good student despite my personal struggles. The second time was earlier this week when I sent them emails to confirm their support.

I am currently employed until the end of May. Thus I am fine with graduating either in the fall of 2017 or the spring of 2018. As a worker, I can see how my Queen¿¿s education prepared me well for the workforce. My history studies have furnished me with the critical thinking skills necessary to handle interpersonal relationships within the professional sphere. My extensive extracurricular involvement has given me the confidence to complete tasks that I have already been doing for years.

I sincerely hope that I will be granted the opportunity to finish these two remaining courses. I was given an extension of the incomplete last fall which allowed me to successfully complete HIST 339 with an A-. I have expended a lot of my personal resources and energy onto my Queen¿¿s degree. As a part-time worker in a pretty relaxed environment, I believe I should have ample time to finish my degree within the rest of the fall term. Nothing would make me prouder than to be able to call myself a Queen¿¿s grad.

Thank you for your consideration,
Tamarra Wallace