Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies, Dr. Jill Atkinson,

A. Firstly, I am appealing to drop the course WRIT 120 from my Winter 2018 term. Secondly, I am appealing for Aegrotat Standing in SOCY 273 (Winter 2018) and SOCY 389 (Winter 2018). If Aegrotat Standing may not be received, I would like to appeal for Credit Standing in these two courses (SOCY 273 & SOCY 389). I am also appealing for Aegrotat Standing or Credit Standing for the course ARTH 226 (Fall 2016).
B. I am appealing the standing of the aforementioned courses (WRIT 120, SOCY 273, SOCY 389) due to extenuating circumstances that took place during the winter semester (2018), which permitted me from completing my academic responsibilities to my full potential. A traumatic event took place during reading week of February 2018, which subsequently affected the entire semester. I had to return prematurely from my trip on reading week due to the event, and had to return home for the remainder of the semester due to lacking a support system in Kingston. My housemates had stopped talking to me due to the event that had taken place, which is why I had to return home as living in a toxic environment just exacerbated my inability to cope with the issue at hand. It is extremely hard to continue living life when you are battling unseen battles with nobody to talk to. I struggled with finding reason for basic daily tasks, such as showering or even getting out of bed, which is why I had to return home and seek support and help from my mother. I have disclosed the happenings of the event to my counsellor, and would be open to discussing them in person, however, I feel it is too personal and uncomfortable to share in writing. I can only outline how it has affected me, and urge you to look at my grades from the previous semester (Fall 2017) to give you perspective of just how severely my performance was impacted by the event. For SOCY 389, I failed to complete a paper as it was due the week after reading week. I had reached out to my professor for an extension, but was not prepared for how my abilities would be affected and did not predict going home for the majority of the semester, and as such, the paper remained incomplete. For SOCY 273 and SOCY 389, I missed participation marks due to being home and unable to go to class, which severely impacted my grades in both courses. I reached out to my TA for WRIT 120, who granted me extensions, but unfortunately did not notify the professor of my status in time, who then overruled the extension and suggested that I should appeal to drop the course instead, refusing to give me a chance to complete my incomplete work once I was feeling more confident in my abilities. I had reached out to my professors prior to this appeal, with help from my academic advisor, and had planned on requesting academic consideration, but unfortunately, I had to appeal regardless as they all decided nothing could be done. I am extremely upset with how this circumstance has been handled, as Queen's has put in place the option for an Academic Consideration and other accommodations for mental health and traumatic events to be taken seriously and factored into the student's performance, and yet, I feel as though my situation has been wrongfully dismissed without proper consideration and compassion. As for ARTH 226, I know that appeals should be done in their proper terms, however my grade for this course was changed and I had not been aware until now. I had emailed my professor, but she no longer works for the department, and so I was required to appeal. I had strep throat and was extremely sick during the final examination period for this course, and so my professor had allowed me the option of reweighting my final exam to my final essay. When I had received my grade (B) for the course at the end of the semester, I had assumed that this was my final grade for the course and my professor had gone ahead and reweighted my assignment. However, there was miscommunication and the grade changed to an F after the end of Winter 2017 semester, which I was unaware of. I am willing to share the email thread with my professor that outlines these plans of reweighting my final exam.
C. As I mentioned before, I spent the majority of the semester at home, in Toronto, in order to prioritize my mental health and receive support in helping myself. This was a very crucial step, as I truly believe that if I had not gone home, I would not have been able to cope during such a distressing time. I will also be living with new housemates next year, allowing for a more positive environment. After returning to Kingston to complete my final examinations, I had finally decided to see a counsellor again. I continue to see a counsellor regularly, and will continue to do so throughout the summer and into my final year. I have also found full-time employment (which is why this appeal has taken some time), which has given me structure, routine, and responsibility - all of which are crucial factors in maintaining good mental health and stability. Apart from these major changes, I also dedicate time in my day to doing things that make me feel productive, instead of allowing myself to do nothing - particularly, I make sure that I am spending time outside and spend more time reading and less time looking at screens (I really believe this has had a huge impact on my overall mood).

I truly feel like my life has done a 180 in terms of my everyday, my mood, my productivity, and my abilities. Every morning I wake up with the sun and look for ways I may be present in the moment and build myself as a person. I sincerely hope that you have found my letter to be reasonable and adequate, and I hope that you may take my situation, and the support of my counsellor, into serious consideration when coming to a decision.

Thank you,

Emma Sarkisian (10146101).