Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 10636
Submitted: June 8, 2023 at 11:36:29 AM
First Name: Sarah
Last Name: Burgess
Pronoun: She/her
Preferred Name: Sari Cole-Burgess
Student Number: 20229099
Email: 19smb16@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: MUSC
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To The Associate Dean (Academic),
I am petitioning the Faculty of Arts decision requiring me to withdraw from my studies at Queen??s for one year.
My time at Queen??s University began in September of 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic. As a student with a permanent disability this was a difficult transition, but one I was willing to work through as this school was a dream of mine. During my first year, I was met with many roadblocks that had mostly to do with accommodations. It took two months to receive accommodations in the first place, with my first appointment not being until October- by which point I was already behind in most of my courses. Once I received them, the advisor I was assigned to left the university but I was not notified. For a few months, I emailed this woman about some concerns with no response. Eventually, after feeling fed up, I found time to email the intake office asking if there was something I was doing wrong and why I was being ignored. It was only then, I was told she no longer worked for Queen??s. At this point, I began failing and dropping out of classes. I was unaware who my new Accommodations Advisor was, until May of 2021, when I had a conflict with a Professor. They reached out to my new advisor, who reached out to me to explain my own accommodation to me. Not only did I feel deeply disrespected, this also caused me to drop out of the course, which was supposed to help me catch up on credits lost during the first year.
Second year was much more difficult. Not only was I dealing with poor mental health, but I was also struggling with some courses. During the first and second years of my Music degree I struggled a lot with music theory (MUSC 191) and in second year we figured out why. I had gone to the Professor and asked about an accommodation, as it was not a lack of understanding that was the cause of the struggle, but an undiagnosed disability. My professor referred me to my Advisor and I hesitantly reached out. I asked for the three of us to meet, as I was the linking piece between them- but they had the meeting without me. I was told there was nothing they could do, and that I had to drop the class and attempt for a third time the following year. Music Theory, however, affects more then just one class. It affects Sight singing (MUSC 127) and Keyboard (MUSC 129) not only because of content but also my mental capacity for failure. I fell into a rather difficult cycle of depressive episodes, and was burnt out completely by January 2022. Due to poor accommodation and communication by Queen??s University, I was forced out of my Music Degree, and as a result, my Education Degree as well as I couldn??t keep up with everything anymore.
By third year I was feeling completely lost and discouraged as the decade-long dream of graduating from Queen??s Con-ed with a music degree, had been stripped from me. For more mental health-related issues I began to fail out of my third consecutive fall semester. I was tired of just letting go of things I wanted to achieve because of QSAS??s ignorance to my pleading for help. For a time, I blamed COVID as it threw a wrench in everyone??s plans, however, that should not have cost me thousands of dollars on nothing but failed courses due to lack of communication and support from Queen??s. Many of the issues I had I ??simply resolved? by changing my educational and career path; what my second teachable would be, then to not teaching at all, being in Honours and then dropping to a general degree. I have experienced about every personal issue during my time at Queen??s with the biggest struggle being denied support for mental health, and a disability. Last fall I reached out to Alan Jeans at QSAS for assistance and finally received some sort of help, but it is unacceptable and unfair to require a student, who has shown Queen??s nothing but flexibility and resilience, to take a year off- a leave which I may decide to make permanent. Many of the issues I have encountered at Queens have been out of my personal control, and therefore my low GPA is not a true reflection of my academic potential. There are also some grades from last term I have yet to finish, as well as a few classes I need to late drop from my first semester- something I was not aware I could even do until December/January of this past school year. Queen??s is supposed to be an accommodating school, but I have yet to feel any real level of help or support.
I wish to finish out my last year at Queen??s in 2024, with no more hiccups, and wish to be released from this required year off.
Thank you,
Sari Cole-Burgess
20229099
I am petitioning the Faculty of Arts decision requiring me to withdraw from my studies at Queen??s for one year.
My time at Queen??s University began in September of 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic. As a student with a permanent disability this was a difficult transition, but one I was willing to work through as this school was a dream of mine. During my first year, I was met with many roadblocks that had mostly to do with accommodations. It took two months to receive accommodations in the first place, with my first appointment not being until October- by which point I was already behind in most of my courses. Once I received them, the advisor I was assigned to left the university but I was not notified. For a few months, I emailed this woman about some concerns with no response. Eventually, after feeling fed up, I found time to email the intake office asking if there was something I was doing wrong and why I was being ignored. It was only then, I was told she no longer worked for Queen??s. At this point, I began failing and dropping out of classes. I was unaware who my new Accommodations Advisor was, until May of 2021, when I had a conflict with a Professor. They reached out to my new advisor, who reached out to me to explain my own accommodation to me. Not only did I feel deeply disrespected, this also caused me to drop out of the course, which was supposed to help me catch up on credits lost during the first year.
Second year was much more difficult. Not only was I dealing with poor mental health, but I was also struggling with some courses. During the first and second years of my Music degree I struggled a lot with music theory (MUSC 191) and in second year we figured out why. I had gone to the Professor and asked about an accommodation, as it was not a lack of understanding that was the cause of the struggle, but an undiagnosed disability. My professor referred me to my Advisor and I hesitantly reached out. I asked for the three of us to meet, as I was the linking piece between them- but they had the meeting without me. I was told there was nothing they could do, and that I had to drop the class and attempt for a third time the following year. Music Theory, however, affects more then just one class. It affects Sight singing (MUSC 127) and Keyboard (MUSC 129) not only because of content but also my mental capacity for failure. I fell into a rather difficult cycle of depressive episodes, and was burnt out completely by January 2022. Due to poor accommodation and communication by Queen??s University, I was forced out of my Music Degree, and as a result, my Education Degree as well as I couldn??t keep up with everything anymore.
By third year I was feeling completely lost and discouraged as the decade-long dream of graduating from Queen??s Con-ed with a music degree, had been stripped from me. For more mental health-related issues I began to fail out of my third consecutive fall semester. I was tired of just letting go of things I wanted to achieve because of QSAS??s ignorance to my pleading for help. For a time, I blamed COVID as it threw a wrench in everyone??s plans, however, that should not have cost me thousands of dollars on nothing but failed courses due to lack of communication and support from Queen??s. Many of the issues I had I ??simply resolved? by changing my educational and career path; what my second teachable would be, then to not teaching at all, being in Honours and then dropping to a general degree. I have experienced about every personal issue during my time at Queen??s with the biggest struggle being denied support for mental health, and a disability. Last fall I reached out to Alan Jeans at QSAS for assistance and finally received some sort of help, but it is unacceptable and unfair to require a student, who has shown Queen??s nothing but flexibility and resilience, to take a year off- a leave which I may decide to make permanent. Many of the issues I have encountered at Queens have been out of my personal control, and therefore my low GPA is not a true reflection of my academic potential. There are also some grades from last term I have yet to finish, as well as a few classes I need to late drop from my first semester- something I was not aware I could even do until December/January of this past school year. Queen??s is supposed to be an accommodating school, but I have yet to feel any real level of help or support.
I wish to finish out my last year at Queen??s in 2024, with no more hiccups, and wish to be released from this required year off.
Thank you,
Sari Cole-Burgess
20229099
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: I don't have much of an academic plan, as the majority of my issues stem from the school's disorganization and lack of support.
I have been and will continue to do my part by seeing medical professionals to me help cope with my mental health issues, and will continue to reach out to advisors as I see fit for assistance.
As for my GPA requirement, I will put in the needed petitions to late-drop the courses from the fall, and will work diligently to finish the coursework from the winter semester.
I have been and will continue to do my part by seeing medical professionals to me help cope with my mental health issues, and will continue to reach out to advisors as I see fit for assistance.
As for my GPA requirement, I will put in the needed petitions to late-drop the courses from the fall, and will work diligently to finish the coursework from the winter semester.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Decision Letters
Level 1 Status
Status: DeniedLevel 2
Appeal Type: Level 2
ID: 210
Submitted: July 24, 2023 at 10:41:18 AM
Relevant Petition: 10636
Decision(s) Being Appealed: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Appeal Grounds
Appeals to the Board of Studies must include a letter based on one or more of the Grounds for Appeal (Appeal Regulation 3.4). What are the grounds you are basing your appeal on?
- The Associate Dean's decision did not follow the rules of procedural fairness. A breach of procedural fairness includes such things as the Associate Dean failed to:
- Make a reasonable decision in your appeal. A “reasonable” decision is one that is based on evidence, thought out and supported by facts and logical inferences from the facts. To be reasonable, the decision must contain adequate reasons for the conclusions.
Appeal Grounds Details: I was told a reconsideration could be used if I submitted documentation, and while doing so I was prompted to put it through as an appeal.
Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Academic),
My apologies, it seems I sent the unfinished version of this email yesterday.
Thank you for your initial response to my petition. Previously, I did not understand what documentation I could have provided aside from a doctor's note. I cannot book an appointment due to prolonged wait times. However, I have gone through emails and my transcript which demonstrate the difficulties I have experienced with the University. These experiences significantly impacted my ability to perform academically, so I have attached the documentation in a folder in hopes you will reconsider your decision (as per your response letter).
First, I attached an email chain between myself and Dr. John Burge, Professor of MUSC 191 (“NOVEMBER 2020”). In the email, I reach out for help from Dr. Burge. He responded with a Zoom link to go over the assignments. In this Zoom meeting, he mentioned the possibility of a dyslexia diagnosis. He advised me to drop the course (as the University extended the drop date due to COVID) and seek a formal diagnosis (which has yet to be had).
In December, I found out my first accommodations advisor, Michelle Vieria, was no longer working at Queen's (I have attached my original Letter of Accommodation, which was created in October). I am unable to find any email exchanges between us. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out who my new Accommodation Advisor was until May when an incident occurred with a Professor. The second document, (“MAY 13 2021”), is an exchange between myself and Dr. Robert May, Department of English. Although the conversation with him ends without a response, he had reached out to my new accommodation advisor Angel Varrette, who in turn emailed me to explain my accommodations to me. I cannot find this email, but it was the first time I heard from her. Later that month, Queens Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) alerted me about my advisor change (“MAY 2021”).
In August 2021, I contacted the new Professor of MUSC 191, Cecilia Livingston, over concerns with course content regarding issues from the previous year to determine a plan for success (“AUGUST 2021”). We had the meeting and discussed the upcoming year, but never addressed the core issue. Instead, during class, she told me I needed to “start the assignments earlier”, which does not address the core issue.
At this point (February 2022) I reached out to Angel, seeking help to advocate for my learning needs since I was failing assignments, despite understanding the new material each week. I also should note I had a tutor- Emma Patterson. I have no emails with her as she was a peer, but have included a screenshot of money being transferred to her.
I was told by Angel “I will reach out to your instructor in MUSC 191B to arrange a time to meet with her to explore options re your weekly assignments. I will include you on the meeting invite, but there is no pressure to attend…” (“FEBRUARY 2022”, pg 2). This meeting invite never occurred, despite me verbally telling my advisor in the meeting sited^, that I was the bridge between her, and the course instructor.
I then contacted Kim Gudlauski, the Music Advisor, and asked her to take me out of the Bachelor of Music program. I later dropped out of Con-ed and into a Bachelor of Arts General (“SSR_TSRPT_UN” pg 1). I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue in the Education program (due to insufficient GPA requirements) despite deferring my 2nd-year practicum (“PRACDeferral”).
Additionally, disclosed on my transcript are some other courses affecting my GPA that are in the process of being resolved:
MUSC 121 Applied Study: There is a missing grade that is being resolved (Highlight-Yellow, Pg 1)
CLST 102 Intro to Greek Civ: in the process of a late drop, as directed by Alan Jeans (Highlight-Pink, Pg 2) (“OCTOBER 2022”, “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”)
HIST 283 Women & Gender - North America: in the process of a late drop, as directed by Alan Jeans (Highlight-Pink, Pg 2) (“OCTOBER 2022”, “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”)
LLCU 244 Music&Culture in Latin America: this is an incomplete course, as I am still working on the last final assignment (Highlight-Yellow, Pg 2)
MUSC 171 Social History Popular Music: this is also incomplete, as I am currently completing an assignment and a few tests.
During my third year, I had a couple of mishaps and reached out to Alan Jeans (of QSAS) for help. He was helpful and devised a plan that allowed me to complete my semester (“OCTOBER 2022”, “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”). Unfortunately, at this point, my GPA was unsalvageable. In December 2022, Allan told me about the Late Drop option. This information would have been beneficial when I was struggling with MUSC 127 ( it is hard to pass ear training without theory). See the document entitled “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”.
I am actively taking courses, and I am in the middle of exams and final assignments to both catch up in and finish courses. I have had an Accommodation Advisor change for a third time (“JUNE 2023 QSAS”), which has been helpful but I also question why I am only now- as Queens is putting me on a required absence - learning of all the supports available too me such as a Learning Strategist (“JUNE 2023SASS”). I understand it is my responsibility to avail myself of all of the support offered by the school, but between 4 advisors and 3 full years of struggle, I was never told about this.
For the next couple of years of my degree, I have put in place a few things to help me be more successful. Kim Gudlauski has agreed to meet with me on a biweekly basis to help keep me on track. I am in the middle of fixing some of the grades on my transcript, and I’m seeking help from healthcare professionals. I hope you will reconsider.
Thanks,
Sarah.
20229099
My apologies, it seems I sent the unfinished version of this email yesterday.
Thank you for your initial response to my petition. Previously, I did not understand what documentation I could have provided aside from a doctor's note. I cannot book an appointment due to prolonged wait times. However, I have gone through emails and my transcript which demonstrate the difficulties I have experienced with the University. These experiences significantly impacted my ability to perform academically, so I have attached the documentation in a folder in hopes you will reconsider your decision (as per your response letter).
First, I attached an email chain between myself and Dr. John Burge, Professor of MUSC 191 (“NOVEMBER 2020”). In the email, I reach out for help from Dr. Burge. He responded with a Zoom link to go over the assignments. In this Zoom meeting, he mentioned the possibility of a dyslexia diagnosis. He advised me to drop the course (as the University extended the drop date due to COVID) and seek a formal diagnosis (which has yet to be had).
In December, I found out my first accommodations advisor, Michelle Vieria, was no longer working at Queen's (I have attached my original Letter of Accommodation, which was created in October). I am unable to find any email exchanges between us. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out who my new Accommodation Advisor was until May when an incident occurred with a Professor. The second document, (“MAY 13 2021”), is an exchange between myself and Dr. Robert May, Department of English. Although the conversation with him ends without a response, he had reached out to my new accommodation advisor Angel Varrette, who in turn emailed me to explain my accommodations to me. I cannot find this email, but it was the first time I heard from her. Later that month, Queens Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) alerted me about my advisor change (“MAY 2021”).
In August 2021, I contacted the new Professor of MUSC 191, Cecilia Livingston, over concerns with course content regarding issues from the previous year to determine a plan for success (“AUGUST 2021”). We had the meeting and discussed the upcoming year, but never addressed the core issue. Instead, during class, she told me I needed to “start the assignments earlier”, which does not address the core issue.
At this point (February 2022) I reached out to Angel, seeking help to advocate for my learning needs since I was failing assignments, despite understanding the new material each week. I also should note I had a tutor- Emma Patterson. I have no emails with her as she was a peer, but have included a screenshot of money being transferred to her.
I was told by Angel “I will reach out to your instructor in MUSC 191B to arrange a time to meet with her to explore options re your weekly assignments. I will include you on the meeting invite, but there is no pressure to attend…” (“FEBRUARY 2022”, pg 2). This meeting invite never occurred, despite me verbally telling my advisor in the meeting sited^, that I was the bridge between her, and the course instructor.
I then contacted Kim Gudlauski, the Music Advisor, and asked her to take me out of the Bachelor of Music program. I later dropped out of Con-ed and into a Bachelor of Arts General (“SSR_TSRPT_UN” pg 1). I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue in the Education program (due to insufficient GPA requirements) despite deferring my 2nd-year practicum (“PRACDeferral”).
Additionally, disclosed on my transcript are some other courses affecting my GPA that are in the process of being resolved:
MUSC 121 Applied Study: There is a missing grade that is being resolved (Highlight-Yellow, Pg 1)
CLST 102 Intro to Greek Civ: in the process of a late drop, as directed by Alan Jeans (Highlight-Pink, Pg 2) (“OCTOBER 2022”, “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”)
HIST 283 Women & Gender - North America: in the process of a late drop, as directed by Alan Jeans (Highlight-Pink, Pg 2) (“OCTOBER 2022”, “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”)
LLCU 244 Music&Culture in Latin America: this is an incomplete course, as I am still working on the last final assignment (Highlight-Yellow, Pg 2)
MUSC 171 Social History Popular Music: this is also incomplete, as I am currently completing an assignment and a few tests.
During my third year, I had a couple of mishaps and reached out to Alan Jeans (of QSAS) for help. He was helpful and devised a plan that allowed me to complete my semester (“OCTOBER 2022”, “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”). Unfortunately, at this point, my GPA was unsalvageable. In December 2022, Allan told me about the Late Drop option. This information would have been beneficial when I was struggling with MUSC 127 ( it is hard to pass ear training without theory). See the document entitled “RE_QSAS SUPPORT”.
I am actively taking courses, and I am in the middle of exams and final assignments to both catch up in and finish courses. I have had an Accommodation Advisor change for a third time (“JUNE 2023 QSAS”), which has been helpful but I also question why I am only now- as Queens is putting me on a required absence - learning of all the supports available too me such as a Learning Strategist (“JUNE 2023SASS”). I understand it is my responsibility to avail myself of all of the support offered by the school, but between 4 advisors and 3 full years of struggle, I was never told about this.
For the next couple of years of my degree, I have put in place a few things to help me be more successful. Kim Gudlauski has agreed to meet with me on a biweekly basis to help keep me on track. I am in the middle of fixing some of the grades on my transcript, and I’m seeking help from healthcare professionals. I hope you will reconsider.
Thanks,
Sarah.
20229099
Documentation
Document: February 2022 Email with Angel.pdf
Document: SSRTSRPTUN.pdf
I plan to submit additional documentation at a later date: I have 9 other pieces of documentation to include but it won't let me. Can submit at any time.
History
Originally submitted June 8, 2023 at 11:36:29 AM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Incomplete | Kerri Andrews | 2023-06-08 3:28:25 PM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | In Review | Kerri Andrews | 2023-06-28 11:38:41 AM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Denied | Kerri Andrews | 2023-07-10 10:34:23 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D. | Kerri Andrews | 2023-07-10 10:34:23 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Kerri Andrews | 2023-07-10 10:34:45 AM | |
| new_appeal_level_2 | N/A | Level 2 | Level 2 Appeal ID: 210 | 19smb16 | 2023-07-24 10:41:18 AM | |
| status | N/A | Received | Withdrawn | Pamela Briand | 2023-09-25 1:55:37 PM |