Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Office of Associate Dean (Academic)
Queen¿¿s University, Kingston
ON, Canada
Student Services, Dunning Hall


Dear Associate Dean (Academic),

I am appealing to drop POLS 212 (Summer 2020), POLS 347 (Summer 2020), EMPR 220 (Fall 2019) and to drop the first attempts at EMPR 200 (Winter 2019) and EMPR 240 (Winter 2019). Additionally, I am also appealing to receive aegrotat standing in POLS 486 (Summer 2020), or if not granted, to drop.

I recognize the delay in writing this letter; putting down in writing my experience has not been an easy journey for me but after talking to Academic Advisors and counseling services, I was encouraged to do so. For background, during my first two and a half years at Queen¿¿s University, I did my best to cope with a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis related to violent sexual abuse. Coming to Queen¿¿s was a new start, and I was able to perform well in some classes which had fewer, heavier-weighted assignments, and worse in those which required consistent in-person and/or active class participation due to the nature of trauma I was struggling with. In a worsening turn, I was sexually assaulted on campus during my second year at Queen¿¿s. This dramatically deteriorated my mental health. As a result, there is an extreme difference in grades within these years, particularly seen in my online courses (EMPR 220, EMPR 200, EMPR 240) where I was unable to keep up with the interactive format, and therefore failed.

In order to make up for the lost credits, I pushed myself hard to catch-up during the following terms and was able to get good grades in both in-person and online courses. At this point, I was able to better my coping skills by actively seeking counseling/medical services from campus resources. Short-term accommodations put in place during this time allowed for fewer in-person interactions, especially for examinations and group work. The documentation provided alongside this appeal reflects the severity and duration of my inability to properly function during this time on campus. I was later able to retake EMPR 200 and EMPR 240 with great final grades, which is why I am appealing to drop the previous grades in these courses as it was not a true reflection of my typical course performances when not struggling against these extenuating circumstances.

Unfortunately, as classes went fully remote during the Winter 2020 term, I left campus (after spending the past two and a half years living in residence at Queen¿¿s) and faced difficult living conditions as I had to return to the location where traumatic events occurred, triggering my PTSD. During the following Summer 2020 term, I became severely depressed and suicidal. I reached out to Student Wellness Services and private counseling and realized I could not continue on with my studies, despite the understanding nature of my professors who tried to help me succeed and took steps to ensure I had the right support options. While I do not have documentation from this period, I give my full consent to look at my records at Student Wellness Services.

At this point, the drop date had passed for the term but I was not in the right state to write an appeal letter. I was able to complete two out of the three required assessments of POLS 486 (Summer 2020) due to the generously personalized accommodations agreed upon with Professor Nguyen, but failed to deliver the final component. While an aegrotat standing would be very impactful in my academic plan to graduate, I understand if this is not possible and hope the course could then be approved for the late appeal instead. Given my state at that point in time, I made the decision upon consultation with my family and healthcare professional to take a semester off and focus on my health. I took that time to do the required personal work to get better and build a comfortable and supportive environment around me.

While away from studies, I have put in concrete efforts to create a realistic academic plan for the remainder of my studies at Queen¿¿s. I am currently enrolled in five courses for the Winter 2021 term (and am progressing well so far), and will continue full-time studies to work towards my degree plan of a POLS-DEVS Medial with an Employment Relations Certificate. I have been in contact with an Academic Advisor and am clear on what courses are still needed, and when I am taking them. While I thought about changing my Honours Degree to a General Degree, I have decided to stick to my plan and do a full fifth year of studies to complete the required credits at a manageable pace. Additionally, I have significantly improved my living situation by moving (which was a direct factor to my decline in the Summer 2020 to the beginning of Fall 2020), connected with the right resources (academically and health-wise), and am taking a step-by-step approach in reaching my goal of graduating, and eventually attending a graduate program. The approval of the abovementioned appeals would significantly help in the journey towards this goal by giving me the chance to have a transcript reflective of my sincere efforts in courses by removing the debris of extenuating moments. Graduating with my undergraduate degree from Queen¿¿s is my main focus and I am fully committed. Given the work and severe changes to my personal circumstances, I am certain I can reflect my capability to perform well in all future courses at Queen¿¿s, especially now that previous personal barriers are removed due to the remote nature of course delivery.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and considering my appeal. Please feel free to contact me for any further clarifications or additional materials required.

Sincerely,
Glafki Baci