Petition Letter
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to formally request to waive the 21-day deadline to appeal my grades in several undergraduate courses that I have taken during my first two years at Queen's University between 2012 and 2014.
The reason why I request an appeal now is because I was unaware that appealing grades for my courses was even possible until Fall of 2015. As a result of legal proceedings due to a severe concussion I received in 2012, I underwent a neuro-psychological evaluation performed by a psychologist during August of 2015. The evaluation revealed that my mental processing and learning abilities had been hindered since the accident, that that I was still suffering the consequences of post-concussion syndrome. This evaluation was a great relief to me; it confirmed my suspicions and gave me the answers as to why I had struggled so much with my learning abilities since my concussion, which I believe were reflected in the poor grades that I had earned during my first two years at Queen's. Given this new information, I scheduled a meeting with an academic advisor at the ArtSci office in the Fall of 2015 where I presented this documentation. In addition to directing me to Queen's Disability Services, the advisor at ArtSci also informed me that there was an appeal process that I could undergo in attempt to appeal my grades in first and second year so that my GPA would more accurately reflect my academic abilities. This was the first that I had heard of this possibility. I was determined to complete the process in the Fall 2015 semester, but I found myself extremely busy with my coursework and soon became faced with additional challenges. I was diagnosed with mononucleosis at the beginning of November and fell extremely ill. I was able to negotiate alternative methods of completing my coursework with my instructors, but it was still a very stressful and difficult time, and as a result, I didn't complete the appeal forms during this semester. After the winter break, I began to recuperate and feel much better. I had to complete some outstanding coursework and an exam from the Fall semester, so I was also extremely busy during the first weeks of the semester. After I had finished some of the coursework, I planned to submit my appeal. However, I received the deeply upsetting information that a very close friend of mine from Nova Scotia passed away on January 22nd. The passing of my friend sent me into a severe depression, and I was sometimes unable to get out of bed or leave my house. I was unable to attend class or complete coursework, as I had little motivation to perform daily activities. I met with an academic advisor at ArtSci for advice, and they suggested that I seek help from a counsellor at Lasalle. I also kept my instructors updated with my condition, and I was able to submit incomplete forms for some of my classes and I am planning to apply for a late drop for one course.
With the help of a counsellor at Lasalle, I began to feel my mental health condition improving around the end of April. I have now been feeling much better, and am currently busy working on my outstanding coursework, travelling, and improving my mental health. I finally feel as though my life is slowly returning to normal, and I have regained my ability to function and complete tasks. It is for these reasons why I am now requesting to appeal some of my grades from my first and second years at Queen's, instead of within the 21-day deadline in 2013 and 2014, or during the Fall semester when I was first informed of this possibility. I have been faced with some very difficult obstacles during my time at Queen's, but I have continuously been working to overcome these challenges and I believe that they have made me stronger as a student and a person.
I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to further explain the details surrounding my extenuating circumstances and request an appeal for some of my grades. I would be happy to include the neuro-psychological evaluation as separate documentation, as the PDF file is too large to upload.
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Kara Lawrie
I would like to formally request to waive the 21-day deadline to appeal my grades in several undergraduate courses that I have taken during my first two years at Queen's University between 2012 and 2014.
The reason why I request an appeal now is because I was unaware that appealing grades for my courses was even possible until Fall of 2015. As a result of legal proceedings due to a severe concussion I received in 2012, I underwent a neuro-psychological evaluation performed by a psychologist during August of 2015. The evaluation revealed that my mental processing and learning abilities had been hindered since the accident, that that I was still suffering the consequences of post-concussion syndrome. This evaluation was a great relief to me; it confirmed my suspicions and gave me the answers as to why I had struggled so much with my learning abilities since my concussion, which I believe were reflected in the poor grades that I had earned during my first two years at Queen's. Given this new information, I scheduled a meeting with an academic advisor at the ArtSci office in the Fall of 2015 where I presented this documentation. In addition to directing me to Queen's Disability Services, the advisor at ArtSci also informed me that there was an appeal process that I could undergo in attempt to appeal my grades in first and second year so that my GPA would more accurately reflect my academic abilities. This was the first that I had heard of this possibility. I was determined to complete the process in the Fall 2015 semester, but I found myself extremely busy with my coursework and soon became faced with additional challenges. I was diagnosed with mononucleosis at the beginning of November and fell extremely ill. I was able to negotiate alternative methods of completing my coursework with my instructors, but it was still a very stressful and difficult time, and as a result, I didn't complete the appeal forms during this semester. After the winter break, I began to recuperate and feel much better. I had to complete some outstanding coursework and an exam from the Fall semester, so I was also extremely busy during the first weeks of the semester. After I had finished some of the coursework, I planned to submit my appeal. However, I received the deeply upsetting information that a very close friend of mine from Nova Scotia passed away on January 22nd. The passing of my friend sent me into a severe depression, and I was sometimes unable to get out of bed or leave my house. I was unable to attend class or complete coursework, as I had little motivation to perform daily activities. I met with an academic advisor at ArtSci for advice, and they suggested that I seek help from a counsellor at Lasalle. I also kept my instructors updated with my condition, and I was able to submit incomplete forms for some of my classes and I am planning to apply for a late drop for one course.
With the help of a counsellor at Lasalle, I began to feel my mental health condition improving around the end of April. I have now been feeling much better, and am currently busy working on my outstanding coursework, travelling, and improving my mental health. I finally feel as though my life is slowly returning to normal, and I have regained my ability to function and complete tasks. It is for these reasons why I am now requesting to appeal some of my grades from my first and second years at Queen's, instead of within the 21-day deadline in 2013 and 2014, or during the Fall semester when I was first informed of this possibility. I have been faced with some very difficult obstacles during my time at Queen's, but I have continuously been working to overcome these challenges and I believe that they have made me stronger as a student and a person.
I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to further explain the details surrounding my extenuating circumstances and request an appeal for some of my grades. I would be happy to include the neuro-psychological evaluation as separate documentation, as the PDF file is too large to upload.
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Kara Lawrie