Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

I am appealing to drop GEOL 106 and POLS 101 (W 2019) late, as well as requesting credit standing in FILM 110 from the same year, my first year as a Queen¿¿s student (18/19). During my first year, I had a lot of difficulty with the adjustment to University life and handling myself on a day-to-day basis. My first semester of school (Fall, 2018) included many hurdles academically that I tried my best to push through, as well as a variety of factors outside of the classroom that affected me on a much more personal level. My great uncle, whom I was very close with, passed away while I was away at school, and my high school girlfriend and I attended different schools and were experiencing extreme difficulties trying to make it work. During this time, I dealt with on and off mood swings, and by the time Christmas came around - I realized that I was suffering from a form of depression that I immediately started dealing with at the Queen's Health and Wellness Services at the beginning of February. Although I was seeking help, I spiraled mentally and had issues just getting out of bed in the morning. My mood wasn¿¿t swinging anymore - it was sadness 24 hours of the day. I stopped taking proper care of myself, I was afraid to go out and be social with my friends, my diet became non-existent, and I ended up losing 30 pounds. I was alone and afraid. Knowing I had a serious issue, I still decided to do my best and attempted to finish out the second semester. I dropped my course load from five to three to make time for self-care and my mental health appointments, knowing that I wouldn¿¿t be able to perform the same academically as I had my whole life. Even with the lower course load, I was unable to perform anywhere near my standards because of my mental health. That is why I¿¿m asking for an appeal to drop GEOL 106, and POLS 101 from my first year - as well as a credit standing in FILM 110. This year has been much better for me in terms of my mental health, as well as in school - having roommates that set an example and encourage me to do as much studying as I possibly can. After careful consideration and a visit with my Academic Advisor - Spring Forsberg, I have decided to appeal and do everything I can to get my rough academic start at Queen¿¿s back on track. I know that this appeal is late, and the only excuse I have for myself is that I was completely unaware of this avenue until I met with the economics department and more specifically, academic advising. It¿¿s been a tough few years, but I feel better than I ever have thanks to the help I received from the Queen¿¿s community and I¿¿m hungry to become the most successful student I can possibly be. I plan to major in Sociology and will attend the Majors Night on February 27th to get a better understanding of what I need to accomplish academically to ensure the future that I know I can achieve.

Thank you for your time and consideration, it¿¿s been a challenging and painful time for me as you can imagine, and I look forward to getting back to where I know I belong as a student and hopefully reducing the damage that was done from my past extenuating circumstances.

Regards,

Gordie Morrow
Queens University
20106902