Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Rachael Goleski, 3rd year BAH student in Linguistics.

The reason I was unable to appeal the grades I received in PSYC 100/6.0 and SPAN 112/3.0 within the 21 day deadline were because I was unaware that it was even possible to submit appeals regarding academics. I was in first year at the time and I had no clue how the appeal system worked. After some research and talking to my peers, I was made aware of this a few days ago and decided to submit an academic appeal.

I am appealing my grades in PSYC 100 and SPAN 112 because there were extenuating circumstances in my life at the time that inhibited my academic performance in these courses. At the time of my enrollment in these courses, I was in my first year at Queen's living in Harkness Hall, a residence far from campus and food services, and I was depressed, anxious, and lonely. In addition to my mental health issues, I was also unknowingly suffering from lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance, which caused me to be physically ill daily as all I was eating was food that I could have delivered to my residence, as the food services were so far away. I recognized that the environment and location of my residence were the root of the issues I was having, and I attempted multiple times to move out of Harkness, but my submissions were never approved. This caused me to feel hopeless, and like I had nowhere safe to go. I believe that these grades do not reflect my academic ability. My second semester of first year was the worst for my mental and physical health, as I had just returned from two weeks at home over Christmas Break and fell into a spiral of homesickness, depression, anxiety, and physical illness. The combination of all of these made it very difficult for me to find the motivation to study for these classes.

I took SPAN 111 in Fall 2017 and received a grade of A-. The reason I took SPAN 112 was because I had achieved a good mark in the introductory course, and I firmly believed I would succeed in the second half, SPAN 112. Instead, I was faced with my physical and mental challenges, and received a mark of D+ in this course. I took PSYC 100 in Fall and Winter 2017 and was receiving grades in the B level. However, as previously stated, my return from Christmas Break sent me into a depression that made it difficult to study and attend classes and labs and made it difficult to memorize and remember the terms we needed for the final exam. I am requesting a Credit Received (CR) in each course, as I did successfully pass these courses, but barely.

As a result of my mental and physical health during this time, I firmly believe that my academic performance was compromised in these courses. I could not find the motivation to study for these courses because of my depression and anxiety, and I was unaware of how to seek help and so I had to face this psychological challenge throughout the duration of these courses. I realize now that I should have sought out someone who could have explained the negative feelings I was having, but I had never experienced them before and I was at a loss at what to do. After my first year, I have found coping mechanisms for my mental health issues that have improved my life, and I am on a diet that makes me feel physically good.

Thank you for taking the time to read my academic appeal, and please contact me for any more information needed to make a decision.

Sincerely,

Rachael Goleski