Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am writing this letter today as I am appealing to drop IDIS280 (Winter 2019) course as I have been dealing with eventuating circumstances which has greatly impacted my academic this school year. Therefore, I have been unable to fulfill my academic requirements, specifically within the IDIS280 course.

I was sexually assaulted by a man in Kingston and due to this traumatic event I have been affect physically and psychologically. This man has been charged with sexual assault as I did report the incident to the Kingston Police. I have been dealing with the aftermath of this traumatic event the last school year specifically which has had a great impact on my academics. I have been dealing with the court system as well as my own treatment as this incident has greatly impacted my mental health. Specifically within the IDIS280 course, I have been impacted academically as this course is designed for group work and due to this circumstances I was unable to fully participate in the group work. I also believe it was not fair to my group members that I continued within this course as I would be dragging them down with me. This event has impacted me throughout this entire school year as I did have to put one course on incomplete in the fall semester but this winter as I have been finishing up on the court process and juggling the management of my mental health. My academic¿¿s this winter term has been mostly impacted.

This school year I have spent a great amount of time with counsellors, victim witness protection and sexual violence services. These services provided at Queen¿¿s have be beneficial as I am finally getting my mental and physical health back on track. Next year I will be finishing up my undergraduate degree along with the Disability and Physical Activity certificate. I plan on scheduling a meeting with academic services and Melody Monte to establish a plan for my upcoming school year. I am confident that I will be able to complete my current courses with success but the course IDIS280 was a bit more complex as this course was designed as assignment based and majority was virtual group work that I was not able to participate in due to this traumatic event. Next fall, when I return to Kingston I plan on keeping in touch with Barb Loutan and other services on campus to as well as my medical professional so I will be able to stay on top of my academic¿¿s next school year.

If you have any further questions concerning this academic appeal to drop IDIS280 course please contact me at 14ajo2@queensu.ca.

Sincerely,

Ashley Orr

Note that appeal fee will be paid by the Human Rights & Equity Office.