Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Board of Studies,

I am a second-year economics undergraduate student at Queens University, and as of September 2019 I have gained an extenuating circumstance. This extenuating circumstance has been brought upon my father¿¿s health, as he is battling stage 4 lung cancer, Jaundice and Pneumonia. All of which he has chosen to seek treatment for, however his recovery has been fairly inconsistent. Due to this inconsistency my father is now under palliative care and is expected to pass within the second week of January 2020.

As a result of this the past few months have been an emotional roller-coaster for my family and me. This is because we have had to deal with my father¿¿s extensive diagnosis, whilst adapting to sudden changes in our daily lives. These changes are apparent in our financial situation as my father is no longer mentally and physically well to provide for my family and his need of 24/7 care. Thus, increasing my families need to fill the void of his presence and responsibilities. This has brought upon a ton of stress and sadness on my family, especially since we are immigrants and do not have many family members or friends to lean on. Consequently, I have had to increase my share of responsibilities and take on the role of a caretaker for my father in the hopes to help in any which way. I have been able to do so by commuting from Kingston to Mississauga on the weekends/ breaks/ in-between academic deadlines.

Unfortunately, my Father was unable to battle cancer and passed away at 7:55 am on Monday, January 6th, 2020.

However, in the midst of attending school, retaining my position as a Yoga Instructor at the ARC and fulfilling my role as a caretaker my marks have been affected. This brings me great sadness as I dedicate a lot of my time to my academics, have never missed a class/deadline despite my situation, and have spent a vast majority of first semester at Joseph S. Stauffer Library. Clearly my efforts were ineffective, and I was unable to cope with my Father¿¿s abrupt and rapid decline in health. I should have realized this sooner and seeked help/guidance when I needed it most. If I had I would not be in this situation today, and I would not be writing this letter of appeal.

I am appealing in the hopes to gain credit standing on 4/5 of my 2019 Fall Semester courses. These courses include; Devs 250 Environmental Transformations, Econ 212 Microeconomic Theory 1, Econ 241 Economic Aspects of Social Issues, and Econ 250 Introduction to Statistics.

In order to gain control of this situation and proceed on a brighter note, I have made arrangements to excel academically and mentally in the upcoming semester. I have done so by retaking microeconomics in the hopes to achieve a credible grade, opted to take elective course online and the other in person as it has a minimal course load and in line with my major. These slight alterations will allow me to use my time more efficiently and permit me to primarily focus on my major (economics). As for my mental health, I have decided to continue to teach Yoga at the Arc. I have done so as it brings me great joy, and a sense of wellbeing whilst also lessening my family¿¿s financial burden. I have also realized the importance of healing and the power of confiding in others, as it gives me a sense of hope and release.

I have given my decision great thought and I am willing to implement these slight alterations. I know that by doing so I will be able to gain control of my extenuating circumstance and start the year off on a much brighter note.

Sincerely,

Shivani Maharishi