Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Please accept this as my appeal from the requirement to withdraw and my request to expunge my failing grades from my transcript record. I would like to be given an opportunity to restart my education at Queens with a clean slate.

My request is based on the extenuating circumstances as outlined below and a learning disability with which I have been diagnosed.

(My Personal Background:)

I was born in Sri Lanka in December 1997 and was placed in an orphanage in Colombo, run by Sister Mary Shylaja of the Missionaries of Charity. I grew up in this orphanage until I was into my seventh year. My birth mother visited me from time to time but she was too poor to raise me and gave me up for adoption.

In August 2004 I was adopted by my present parents, and moved to Toronto, where I have since lived. In grades 3 and 4, I underwent voluntary counselling. The idea was to help me recognize my own feelings, and understand and express fears. The counselling was designed to help me deal with issues such as anger, sadness and frustrations. The counselling helped me in the need to develop better interpersonal interactions and to recognize feelings in others are part of my everyday life.

Today, I continue to see a therapist who is helping me to understand cause and effect, to think ahead and associate actions with consequences. This continues to be a challenge for me. In my sessions with my counsellor, I notice the need to develop my thinking about my everyday life more abstractly and less linearly, to do it with more imagination. I have turned to art for assistance and have enrolled in some art workshops at OCAD this summer. As I get older I need to develop a better and more realistic sense of time.

(Diagnosis and supports:)

In addition during the course of my therapy, my counsellor recommended that I get a neurological/ psychological assessment done. I have just received the results which show that I have a learning disability. I will forward you the finalized report as soon as it is completed ( approximately two weeks) but the results show that I am challenged in processing non- visualized information. In the meantime I will send you a letter from the assessing doctor ( Dr. Darlene Walker) summarizing the report. I have also learned that there are a number of supports available to assist me to succeed academically. I fully intend, while I am away in Sri Lanka, to work through these options with my counsellors and decide on which are the best tools to assist me to succeed.

I understand that I can make use of appropriate dictation software, tutoring and recording of lectures. I am also hoping to develop strategies to deal with a chronic procrastination challenge that I have. I have a recommendation of an education counsellor who can assist me with this. The report will contain more details of the various supports I will need.

(My Academic Background and Extenuating Circumstance:)

(First Year)

This takes me to my first year at Queens, which I spent in England, at the Bader program. This was my first sustained period away from home. It was not a success. In addition to coping with my various challenges as outlined above additional burdens were imposed on my psyche. In the early summer of 2016, my mother developed vasculitis, a debilitating illness which removed her, to a large extent, from my circle of social interaction and support. And then, in late summer 2016, my father was, unexpectedly, diagnosed and hospitalized with cardio-myopathy (heart failure). In retrospect, these events, coupled with my background, caused me distress, and sadness. My ability to concentrate and focus became compromised. I was overwhelmed with the information I needed to absorb and process as a student. I'm also a procrastinator and that hurt me in getting my assignments in on time. I consulted the local advisor but to no personal avail. This is reflected in my grades for my entire year one. The grades are as follows:

Fall 2016 Term:

DEVS100A-Canada and the Third World- NG;
POLS110A-Intro to Politics and Govt- NG;
SPAN111-Beginning Spanish I- F.

Winter 2017 Term:

ASTR101-Astronomy I: Solar System- F;
BISC101-Acting Globally- F;
GPHY102-Earth,Systems Science- F.


(Second Year)

In the fall of 2017 I started my second year studies. I realize now, with the assistance of my counsellor, that I had not yet recovered my sense of sadness nor my feeling of confidence. But I kept going. In late November/ December 2017 I learned that my father, again unexpectedly at least to me, would undergo substantial heart related surgery. This threw my world and particularly my thoughts into a tailspin. I became unable to focus and concentrate on my learning. Reading became difficult and memorizing more so. Inertia enveloped me.

In the beginning of January, just before I returned to Queens, my father underwent further heart related surgery. Academically, I went into a tailspin. In April 2018, my father's sister, my aunt, came unannounced to pick me up from school to tell me my father had almost died from arrhythmia while in Mexico and had to be flown home by air ambulance. I had to drop everything and came immediately home. I attended upon him daily until he was discharged from hospital on May 28, 2018. I was embarrassed to bring the May 22, 2018 letter to my parents attention until shortly before they first wrote to you. This is all reflected in my grades for 2nd year as follows:

Fall 2017 Term:

DEVS100A-Canada and the Third World- NG;
LLCU111-Introduction to Cultures- F;
POLS110A-Intro to Politics and Govt- NG;
RELS131A- World Religions- NG

Winter 2018 Term:

DEVS110B-Canada and the Third World- F;
POLS110B-Intro to Pols and Govt- IN

(Failure to Disclose:)

I did not disclose my first year marks to my parents as I was deeply embarrassed and deeply concerned about my parents' health. I realize in retrospect that I should have confided in them. I very much regret that I did not do so. I only disclosed my marks to my parents after I disclosed the May 22, 2018 letter.

(My Next Steps - Academic Plan:)

Given my academic record and personal challenges I have decided that I would like to use this next year to find my roots, give back to my birth community, learn from them about dealing with adversity and extreme challenges (Sri Lanka is just emerging from a civil war).

As a result, I have decided to spend next year working at an orphanage in Sri Lanka, the Good Grace Orphanage in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and after that to volunteer my time and services to Offer, a charity which assists Tamil refugees displaced in India and trying to resettle in Sri Lanka. I'm hoping these will be significant learning opportunities for me personally and from a humanistic perspective.

In terms of my academic plan on returning to Queens, I wish to pursue Global Studies as this ties in with the work I'll be doing during the next year. I have discussed this with my parents and received their support. I have also discussed it with my counsellors who are in support. In addition to the the report and letter mentioned above, I will be providing a supporting letter from my parents. (Please see section under Diagnosis and supports for the tools I hope to use).

(Conclusion:)

In light of these extenuating circumstances, I request that Queens favourably consider my appeal from the requirement to withdraw for a year and request that Queens expunge my failing grades and give me the opportunity to restart my education at Queens from year 1.