Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To Associate Dean (Studies),

I write this letter of appeal, requesting to receive an Aegrotat standing in DEVS 221 (Winter 2018), a Credit standing in POLS 393 (Winter 2018), and a Credit standing in DEVS 492 (Winter 2018).

To begin, I would like to mention the impact Queen¿¿s has had on me these past four years of my undergraduate degree. Being a part of the Queen¿¿s community, and such a well-regarded institution has instilled in me a great sense of pride and purpose. I have taken on many leadership roles throughout the countless opportunities provided to me by Queen¿¿s, all which have inspired me to be the best academic, citizen, and peer I can be. As I plan on graduating this year, it is with a heavy heart that I admit I am currently in a situation where my mental health has suffered to a point where I am compelled to ask you to consider my appeal with goodwill. I have exhausted all other possible options, and I hope my letter explains my extenuating circumstances.

The extenuating circumstances beyond my control began during the month of March 2018. During this time last year, both my maternal grandparents passed away within a couple weeks of one another. As they raised me, these past couple weeks have been extremely emotional, and mentally, as well as physically draining. I have been suffering from depression and this time has made it worse and has caused anxiety that I have never dealt with before to suddenly occur. It has gotten to the point where my panic attacks make it nearly impossible for me to conduct daily life, let alone the academic component. Yet, as this is the final semester of my undergraduate studies, I persevered regardless of all the barriers in place, and have held myself to a high academic standard that I plan on meeting for two of my five courses this semester. As much as I would have liked to have as many evaluative and measurable grades as possible, my personal issues have taken a lot of my time and energy, and a toll on my mental health that makes it difficult to continue my studies to the best of my ability.

My mother who battles her own mental health issues has recently had a bad episode triggered by this time period. As an only child of immigrant parents, our family has no support system in Canada, and the responsibility of taking care of my mother, as my dad works full-time to support my academic endeavours, has led to me being home for the past two weeks. Prior to that, I travelled home to Mississauga on a weekly basis to care for my mom, hindering my academic success. My mom has been granted a leave of absence from work. As her health suffers, I feel obligated to care for her, but also want to be with her during this family emergency. My mental health issues have made classes an unsafe environment, full of anxiety, self-doubt, and fatigue. I am filing this appeal as I need the good faith approach of the University to understand my extenuating circumstances that have occurred during my graduating year, and to not be penalized for taking care of my family, and myself for the sake of my own well-being.

I have been meeting with a counsellor through the Student Wellness Services, and have arranged future appointments, as well as submitted an Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances with their support. I have met with Academic Advising, who encouraged me to file this appeal while informing me of my other options. Prior to my circumstances, I was doing extremely well in all my courses. I have fantastic relationships with my professors who are all aware of my situation and are cooperative in ensuring I receive the help I need. I was advised and assured by my professors that an academic appeal in DEVS 221, POLS 393 and DEVS 492 are the best choices for my current situation, and in terms of the courses. DEVS 221 is the only course in which I have an exam, but as I am graduating and I will be starting a master¿¿s program in September, a deferral for the exam was not an option, therefore after exploring all other alternatives, an Aegrotat standing is what was deemed most appropriate for my circumstances by Academic Advising and the professor.

I truly hope I do not suffer due to situations beyond my control, as my academics, and Queen¿¿s, in general, are both so important to me. I want it to be known that I have been working very hard at being proactive and optimistic even though my current extenuating circumstances are very dark and draining. Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my appeal.

Warmest Regards,
Zelia Bukhari
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