Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Hello there,

I am Ashley Canete, a third-year environmental science major at Queen??s. I am writing to request a credit standing in two courses from the 2021-2022 academic year: ECON 351 and ECON 212.

The reason for my request pertains to an extenuating circumstance I experienced at the beginning of that school year following the suicide of a close friend at the University. The stress and concentration difficulties due to the event made me struggle to complete most of my coursework. I had trouble thinking about anything but the event, which was significantly worse during high periods of stress, such as exam season, when I would realize I was not mentally equipped to fulfill my academic responsibilities. Consequently, I sought help from Student Wellness Services and one of their counsellors several times that year. Nevertheless, my academics suffered, as evident in my many course drops, incompletes, poor grades, and course failure from that academic year.

Since then, I have significantly improved both mentally and physically with the help of Student Wellness Services and close friends. My improvement is reflected in my transcript. For example, I achieved four ??A+? this past summer in all my courses. Moreover, this past fall semester, I have mainly earned grades in the ??A? range. I hope this demonstrates that my poor academic performance from last-year does not accurately reflect what type of student I am. I made an error in not taking a break from school; however, it was because I believed I was capable of functioning normally. I have since learned my limits and how to better care for myself. Nevertheless, I am hoping that my previous academic mistakes do not continue to hinder my GPA.

I also want to express my gratitude for how the University handled my extenuating circumstance last year. All my academic consideration and accommodation requests were taken seriously and subsequently granted. This dramatically reduced personal academic stress, allowing me to focus better on recovering from the event. It also made me more trusting of the system in seeking out help.

As for my supporting documentation, I am re-submitting the funeral pamphlet from the death of my friend. I no longer have access to the documentation Student Wellness Services provided during my previous academic appeal requests. However, I can set up a meeting with my previous counsellor to provide you with the same or further documentation if necessary. I am also providing an unofficial copy of my transcript.

Thank you again for all your support. I would greatly appreciate any help. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I wish you the best in your holiday endeavours.

I look forward to hearing from you

Sincerely,
Ashley Canete
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