Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I have spoken with my instructor and we both agree that dropping PHYS 344 without academic penalty at this time would be the most appropriate path forward. The plan is that I will re-enroll and retake the course in the 23-24 academic year which would put me in a better position academically. I have been struggling this term to stay on top of all of my classes due to personal issues related to my learning abilities and have now just been able to receive academic accommodations. The covid situation as well as a difficult living situation in Kingston created additional challenges for me this term. I respectfully request dropping this class without penalty allowing me to focus on my current course load this year and be better positioned for academic success in this central physics course next year. Thank you for your consideration.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY EMAIL:


Thank you for getting back to me regarding my petition to drop PHYS 344. When I realized how much I was struggling in the course I reached out immediately to Dr. van Anders and candidly discussed my challenges with him. He and I agreed that dropping the course without academic penalty was the best course of action. We knew that the deadline had just passed but he felt comfortable supporting this approach and suggested that I reach out to Melissa Balson of Phys/EngPhys, who I emailed with and was told that I could drop the course after completing some paperwork, which I did. However, there was some confusion because I am a physics student and not an EngPhys student and the requirements for dropping without penalty are different for the different faculties. Therefore, I am now petitioning for the withdrawal without academic penalty.

I had been led to believe by both my professor and Melissa, that with their support, I could drop the class without penalty, so I stopped attending and completing the coursework for PHYS 344. Dr. van Anders and I had agreed that it would make the most sense for me to re-enroll in PHYS 344 in the fall of 2023, as it is not offered this spring. The work I am doing this term and will be next term will better position me for success.

I have requested academic accommodations for test taking and have now received them from the University. I have submitted my documentation but the issues that led me to this point with PHYS 344 are not specifically relevant to my request for the withdrawal. My issues stem from challenges that I've had with a living situation with a roommate who, by his recent admission, suffers from a mental illness. He informed me and our other roommate of this only in late October after we were experiencing abnormal and challenging living issues. His parents had been largely unresponsive, and my roommate and I were concerned for his health and safety and frankly, our own. I have reached out to Angel Varrette (my QSAS advisor) and let her know of the issues I am having with dropping this course. I was hoping to have been able to meet with her and have her convey the severity of the issues I am experiencing outside of academia, but I have not heard back from her.

My time at Queen??s has not been without its academic challenges. I have grown a great deal in the past 3 years. I did not come to university with the best of study skills and have been working to the best of my ability to improve and grow. Being able to withdraw from PHYS 344 without academic penalty will allow me to move forward into the next term, strengthen the skills needed for more advanced physics coursework and be on a path for greater academic success.