Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Arts and Science,

My name is Sinan Malik, and I am a student at Queens University. My student number is 10028329. I am writing to appeal for Aegrotat Standing for the Writing course I took in this past summer session, WRIT 120.


I have never previously requested Aegrotat Standing for any course I have previously taken and am currently requesting it due to a number of different factors. Firstly, I completed more than 60 percent of the coursework. To be specific, I completed 75 percent of the course. WRIT 120 did not have any exam and the main focus was on completion of four assignments throughout the summer session. I completed all four assignments, but due to significant outside stresses, I handed several of them in late. I understand that there should be a penalty for handing in assignments past the deadline, but I feel that I would have passed the course and received the credits if not for the lateness of the submission.


In the past, when I have struggled in a course and started to miss deadlines, my anxiety and avoidance habits caused me to choose to give up on the course and stop trying. In this case, however, I feel that I have been actively trying to change my bad habits and forced myself to act in a way that takes accountability for my actions. Even though I knew the assignments were being handed in late, I made sure to complete all of them to the best of my ability. I put in the work and feel that I completed the course learning objectives.


Having recently switched from my Major of Computing to Gender Studies has been the right move for me academically and I am very glad it was the decision I chose to make. I am especially grateful to Queens for allowing me to pursue another route to academic success. However, my family has not been supportive. My parents and I have had a number of arguments over my decision and the atmosphere in my home life has become more tense and more hostile. While I believe in my own decisions and am happy to live with them, the fact that I am not yet fully financially independent has caused a situation in which I need to live with my family at the moment. This has added to my stress level and anxiety, a condition which up until now I had been managing with therapy and medication. The conditions in my home life while living with my family caused me to experience a panic attack daily as opposed to a few months ago when I had reduced them to once every months or two months. This made it very difficult to juggle both courses, employment and a job search, and have confrontations with my family daily over the decisions I have been making.


I have worked hard to build up my GPA and remove the Academic probation status that had previously been an issue for me. After a lot of work and conscious lifestyle changes, I raised my GPA above the probation level. I took one other course this summer and I did very well in it, something that makes me proud. I was able to devote more time to that course in spite of the increased number of panic attacks and stressful interactions in my home life, something I have been proud I accomplished. I am not asking for a higher grade than I deserve. I know my decision to hand in the assignments past the deadline will and should count against me in this case. I just want show that I have put forth a sincere effort to complete the learning objectives of the course and that it was extenuating circumstances that caused me to have a difficult time meeting deadlines. I have tried to act more accountably and responsibly and I truly hope that that comes across.


Regardless of the decision made, I would like to thank the Associate Dean for reading my appeal. I do not take for granted that the appeals process is an important tool to help people as well as one of the main reasons that I personally have been able to find academic success at Queens.

Respectfully,
Sinan Malik