Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean,

I am petitioning to drop a number of classes after the last official date for dropping classes (3.3.1.2) AND/OR to request an extension of the deadline to submit incomplete work (3.3.1.5) beyond the One-Term Appeal Deadline Details regarding which classes will be provided at the end.
The timeline of my extenuating circumstances is as follows:

I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) early in 2018. In Winter 2019, I became a regular victim of assault. All of this contributed to my academic struggles in my first year. I believe my records will indicate that nearly all Fs and low grades during this year were the result of incomplete work and failing to hand in assignments as opposed to low quality of work.

I worked with a psychotherapist in the summer to develop tools and habits connected to my class schedule to keep me on track with deadlines and as a result, made an improvement in Fall 2019. In Winter 2020, I began struggling again as the pandemic hit and other women came forward about my assailant. Fortunately, my instructors were very accommodating and I was able to finish the term.
Both Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 being entirely online was especially difficult for me because I had previously worked on building habits connected to a structured class schedule for my ADHD, yet nearly all of my classes were asynchronous. The only class I had success in that year was the only synchronous class I was enrolled in. While I did have accommodations for my ADHD, I struggled to use them because in that same year, Barbara Lotan, a Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Coordinator in the Human Rights and Equity Office at Queen's, met with me to inform me that a woman had pressed charges and that I would be testifying in the court case. The lack of structure online made completing work difficult for me, but it was the depressive episode that ensued that made it impossible to catch up.

In Summer 2021, I began working with an ADHD coach to help build new tools for me to use that could be applicable to both online and in-person learning. I even enrolled in an elective course, LLCU 200 Semiotics for practice and did considerably well, finishing with an A+. I was feeling optimistic for the first time in a while about returning to school in September.
During the first week of classes in Fall 2021, I had an appointment with Barbara Lotan. In this appointment, Barbara informed me that the sexual assault case I was involved in would be coming to an end. The accused in question, a professor at Queen??s, was acquitted of all charges and cleared to return to work. This news sent me into an even deeper paralyzing depression - I was not able to complete any work and had effectively stopped participating in any academic capacity during Fall 2021 and Winter 2022. I chose not to enroll in Fall 2022.

I have attached a letter from my therapist supporting that I was unable to complete my courses or make the drop deadline in time due to extenuating circumstances.

There may be some questions about why a petition has not been submitted until now. Despite having supporting documents for years, I had been extremely hesitant to use them knowing that the professor involved in the case has friends and family members in high places at Queen??s and was fearful that any petition letter would fall on deaf ears. However, I have received a final notice of an overdue balance for the courses I was enrolled in but did not participate in during Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 and the costs are accumulating. The notice states that if the school does not hear from me by December 18, then my account may be assigned to a Third Party Collection Agency and I will be unable to enroll next year. I am petitioning now because time has run out to rectify my academic and financial situation. The courses I am petitioning for are the following:
- DRAM 100 Introduction to Theatre
- PHIL 250 Epistemology and Metaphysics
- PHIL 257 Ethics
- PHIL 376 Feminism and Philosophy

Please take my extenuating circumstances under advisement and consider my petitions as options for me to continue and complete my academic journey. I understand that it is likely way too late to petition for me to continue or drop classes that I failed in my first few years, but I am optimistic that I have a solid case for the above mentioned classes from this past year.

The reason for listing more than one petition option is because I believe I am ready to return back to my studies. Returning with a clean slate by dropping all of these courses from my academic record is likely the simplest solution as I can always re-enroll, but since PHIL 250 and PHIL 257 are required courses for my current major, I could also continue to complete those courses.

I believe that my past failings are not reflective of my intelligence or ability to do well at Queen??s, as evidenced by the grades that make up my record, but rather a product of my circumstances. I have been working diligently with my therapist and have been taking medication to improve my mental health since March and would like an opportunity to put into practice the skills I had developed with my ADHD coach. I know that there are still obstacles to encounter upon returning, and I know that changes to my academic plan may be necessary for me to be successful going forward, but these are challenges that I am willing to accept.

I understand my situation and what I am asking for is complicated, so I am prepared to discuss the contents of this letter further if need be. Thank you for taking the time to review my letter.
Kind Regards,

Charlotte Emmens

18cae@queensu.ca
(905)-442-6300
Student : 20129595