Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My name is Jessica Dean and I have been enrolled as a non-degree interest student studying PSYCH 100 at Queens University since April 2020. I am 27 years old and am living in Quaqtaq, Nunavik, Quebec. To continue my studies with Queens I must receive a GPA of 1.6 during my first 6.0 course. I am disappointed to admit that I did not meet the requirement this semester, instead receiving a 1.3 GPA. I take full responsibility for this error and would like the Dean to consider my request to appeal this grade. The ideal opportunities for me are to either retake the course or be able to continue my studies at Queens on academic probation. I am fully capable of a higher academic performance and prepared to continue my academic journey with a fresh mindset, strong goals, and effective coping strategies. The following paragraphs will illuminate both the reasons for my errors, and why these errors will not be repeated .

Like many other students, the current COVID-19 pandemic situation posed a tremendous burden on my day to day life. The current circumstances had a negative impact on my academic performance and personal life this semester. I live in the remote, northern community of Quaqtaq, Nunavik, Quebec with limited internet access at the best of times. Queens did its best to address the challenge of the limited internet connection by making accommodations on the exams and ridding the use of Examity. I am happy with the way that was handled. Living in a remote region, the fact that Queens¿¿ has online degree programs was a huge attraction for me.

There were also situations that I was not expecting that had a truly negative influence on my academic performance. I was unable to find employment because the pandemic forced my potential workplaces to close. Non-degree interest students are not eligible for OSAP, and with my meager student CERB cheque I was unsure about how I could continue to pay for my classes at Queens. Being that I am also a mature student, there are few financial aid supports such as scholarships that fit my situation or needs. I actually had to pay for the PSYCH 100 course with CERB cheques. There was also negative social stigma around accepting government stimulus cheques within my village. Finding a job during the pandemic was nigh impossible as most places were closed in our small community. This financial insecurity negatively affected my wellbeing and ultimately had an unfortunate impact on my academic performance during the summer season.

I am happy to say that this situation has improved. As of late August I have secured replacement work as an Educator at the Daycare Centre here in Quaqtaq. The financial security that comes with having a job has greatly contributed to my wellbeing, and I am confident that the part time schedule will suit my needs as an online student. While securing employment has helped me to have a stronger image of my self-worth and a more positive disposition towards an academic journey, I have also made some positive strides towards improving my overall mental health.

The symptoms of my mental health disorder were further amplified by the stresses of taking an online course during a global pandemic. Being a novice student studying an entry level course, I did not fully anticipate how my mental health would affect navigating an online course during the current global situation. I have a Panic Disorder, and while I must admit this is something that I have been dealing with for several years now, it did have a negative influence on my exam performance. I found that I have a hard time focussing on tasks that require me to sit down and focus for long periods of time such as studying. Since May, I have been working with my doctor to find the right medication that fits my needs. I have also accessed therapy services through my partner¿¿s workplace benefits. I have done about 6 weeks of telephone therapy sessions and they have had a great influence on my life. I have been working on coping skills with my therapist to manage my anxiety. I intend on registering for another 6 weeks of telephone therapy with the Homewood Health organization, to continue to work on my anxiety management toolkit. I have reached out to Homewood Health this week and am currently waiting for them to match me with a new practitioner. I am currently being screened for ADHD as I did express concerns to my doctor about my test taking anxieties and lack of focus. The pandemic has had an impact on this process because there is a lack of resources in Nunavik, and with the pandemic doctor visits have been reduced. This has been a very slow process as the doctor usually travels between 14 communities and has had to undergo strict quarantine protocols, so ultimately getting an appointment is difficult and the follow up for my requests has not been consistent. As I am a non-beneficiary within Nunavik, priority is given to beneficiary patients and they have many people to attend to in the week that the doctor visits the community. This week, I did receive some feedback that my ADHD screening has been sent back to the doctor and I am on the list to see the doctor during their next visit to the community which should be in the next month. I expressed to the nurse that this is an urgent matter because it has had an influence on my academic performance and that I have failed a class. This has been communicated to the doctor and I am eager to have the chance to talk with them about my mental health needs.

As I am not originally from Nunavik, I usually return to my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario during the summer holiday. During this time I usually make use of a lot of resources that are scarce in the south such as: seeing my family doctor there to have a check-up, updating my technology devices that require quick downloading speeds, and stocking up on some essential items like deodorant or vitamins that are hard to get here in Nunavik. However, because of travel restrictions I remained here in Nunavik during the summer. Strict travel bans were in place into the early summer. Although I was offered to arrange a flight to go home to Thunder Bay in early June, as my partner is an essential worker here, we ultimately decided not to travel and stay rooted in our Quaqtaq home because we were unsure of how the pandemic would affect returning to our Northern home in a timely manner. Life in a remote northern village during a global pandemic was different than what I am used to. Essential services like groceries and mail were impacted as cargo flights were reduced to three days a week. Internet access was slower than usual as more people were staying at home. Medical services like visits from the doctor were impacted. Government and municipal services were closed ultimately having an impact on employment opportunities in the community. The pandemic really shook this Northern community and slowed things down in ways that no one really anticipated. Navigating my academics during this time was a challenge, but it has taught me to be prepared for the unexpected. An important value that I learned to adapt during this time is preparedness.

I understand that I could be asked to withdraw from Queens University and not be able to apply again for a period of one year. This is a long period of time as the pandemic has staggered my academic goals I have outlined above. For the past six years, I have been working in the local school in a demanding full time position. This is one of the many reasons I made the decision to go back to school to improve my qualifications. Psychology greatly interests me as I have spent almost a decade working with at-risk students who would benefit from psychological support and services in their community. The most ideal situation for me, and most beneficial to those at-risk students I will work with, would be to study remotely with Queens here in Quaqtaq. I realize this semester I have not met my goals academically but this is not an accurate representation of my academic capabilities and performance. I am asking for the chance to try again.

I am requesting a chance to either be able to redo PSYCH 100, appeal my grade, or to be put on academic probation in order to prove that I can and will be successful. Failing a University Course was a huge wake-up call for me to take my mental health and wellness needs seriously, especially in the wake of a global health crisis. Upon reflection, there were a lot of things that I could have done differently this summer semester but they are not a true reflection of myself as a student. If given the opportunity I pledge to put forth my best effort to implement these changes to further strengthen my coping toolkit:

¿¿ Continuing the journey with my doctor and/or therapist to find a solution to my mental health needs and ultimately working on reducing test taking anxiety and creating stronger study habits (scheduling time, exercising, tracking)
¿¿ Making use of the myriad of health and wellness resources that Queens has to offer. I¿¿ve already learned a few things about creating stronger study habits from the resources that were highlighted during the PSYCH 100 course
¿¿ Using note-taking apps like Quizlet (a resource I learned about during PSCYH 100) to help plan study sessions and make them more manageable
¿¿ Following some of the strategies that I have learned from the book Atomic Habits which offers advice and practical strategies for creating lasting positive habits
¿¿ Group study. What I mean by this is simply studying with others who are studying in my community. This is an easily accessible resource to me as there are lots of others who are studying online in my community. Putting myself in an environment with like-minded individuals will motivate me on my trajectory to success.
¿¿ Mindfulness practices are an important strategy in my coping toolkit that I intend to implement consistently in my next academic endeavor.

These are just a few things but they are quite manageable for me. Small habits can create huge changes and I am ready to take on the fall semester. As James Clear says in their book Atomic Habits, ¿¿Goals are good for setting direction, but systems are best for making progress¿. The uncertainty of the global pandemic has taught me a lot about how it is important to pay careful attention to those systems that contribute to my mental health and wellness.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my experience. I am open to any advice that Queens has to offer. Should you need to contact me I can be reached through my Queens student email or via telephone at 1-819-492-9084.

Kind regards,
Jessica Dean