Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Manage Appeals

Petition Type: New
ID: 10928
Submitted: September 11, 2023 at 10:17:21 AM
First Name: Brooke
Last Name: Cudahy
Pronoun: she/her
Student Number: 20271596
Degree Program: BAH/BED
Plan: ENGL, ENGL teachable and BIOL teachable
Level of Study: 3

Petition Categories

Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution

Petition Letter

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am petitioning the Faculty’s decision that I may complete my third year of study at another institution and receive full transfer credits to be put towards my studies at Queen’s University.

I live in Barrie, Ontario, which is approximately a 5-hour drive to Kingston, Ontario; however, to my dismay, my actual commute from Barrie to Queen’s Campus is even longer than that, about 8 hours, because of the series of transportation available (i.e., Go-Train, Via Rail, and public transit).

Regrettably, since March 2023 I have been battling with documented health complications that have severely impacted my ability to study in-person. My General Practitioner has advised that I restrict my attendance, as much as possible, to Queen’s University this 2023-2024 academic school year due to the need for close monitoring of my medical condition.

Likewise, in line with my doctor’s advisory, I planned to enrol in ASO Arts and Science courses for the Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 terms. Unfortunately, as an upper year student, there are very limited options to the ASO courses I can take that can be put towards my career plan at the University, leaving little to none for wiggle room. As a Con-Ed student pursuing a BAH and BED, my remaining career plan requires me to take 51 units of ENGL courses (for my English major and English teachable), 6.0 units of biology (for my Biology teachable) and 3.0 units of electives. This past summer I diligently and strategically compiled a list of the exact courses I needed to take in order to enrol in meaningful courses that count towards my career plan. These Fall 2023 and Winter 2023 courses included BCHM 270/3.0, ENGL 259/3.0, ENGL 281/3.0, HLTH 102/3.0 and ENGL 223/3.0, ENGL 218/3.0, HLTH 101/3.0, HLTH200/3.0, respectively. And even with the courses I had thoughtfully compiled I would still fall 6.0 units short with the courses offered on ASO these two terms.

***Please note that I am in contact with the Education office at Queen’s for my PROF 210 class (which requires in-person attendance) and have set-up a plan with my doctor to make accommodations for absences.

Because I am pursuing a BAH and BED, I am technically an in-person student, despite choosing to take my Arts and Science courses fully online. All the courses I needed to get into were simply not available for me to register into until the first day of school (Sept. 5th) and unfortunately I was told by numerous people (i.e., English Department, ASO Support, ASO Financials, Academic Advisors) that there was nothing they could do to help. By the time classes began on Sept. 5th, the majority of the courses and the wait lists for those courses were full. Sadly I was only able to enrol in two courses in the Fall 2023 term and one course for the Winter 2024 term (for a total of 9 units), which largely puts me behind in completing my degree at Queen’s by taking 10 courses (30 units) per academic year. This is devastating news. I have been in contact with Academic Advisors to help direct me with the best options available right now. They have recommended that I petition to you, the Academic Dean, to be able to complete my third full year at another institution to receive full transfer credits. The Academic Advisors have urged this to be the best alternative option because they recognize that I am in a vicious loop where I cannot enrol in courses that I need, courses that are high-demand, until the day that classes begin, which by that time are already filled.

Thank you for taking the time to read my petition; I greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this unknown time.

Sincerely,

Brooke Cudahy


Academic Plan

Academic Plan: Should my petition be accepted, I intend to enrol in 30 units at another academic institution like Athabasca University or Lakehead University to complete ENGL courses. Athabasca University offers fully online courses that would be in line with my doctor’s advisory, permitting me to study from home with the support system I require. Lakehead University is about a 25-minute drive from Barrie, Ontario and it would be another great option that is in step with my doctor’s orders.

Should my petition be denied, I honestly do not know what my studies at Queen’s will look like. As an OSAP student who wholly depends on the generosity of the government and others to fund my academic endeavours, I am not comfortable taking courses at Queen’s that aren’t fitting in my plan but are rather courses that would be “just for the fun of it” because that would be a waste of someone’s generosity. Thus, all I see should my petition be denied is falling behind in my studies (to likely be in this same loop again come the next term).

Documentation

Professional Letter: IMG_4947.jpeg
Document: IMG_4948.jpg
Document: IMG_4949.jpg
Document: IMG_4950.jpg