Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 12066
Submitted: June 14, 2024 at 11:55:04 PM
First Name: Jack
Last Name: Allen
Pronoun: He/Him
Preferred Name: Jack
Student Number: 20110715
Email: 17jjla@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: HIST
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Hi Associated Dean Dr. Jenn Stephenson, I’m writing to petition to waive my requirement to withdraw for one year from studies at Queen’s University. During my years at Queen’s I’ve gone through a lot, including trials experienced by all of our community like COVID-19 in the middle of my studies at Queens and personally struggling with extensive mental health issues in addition to the difficulties I’m accommodated for by my letter of accommodations. Over the last two years at Queen’s my living situation has changed and that change in environment and support network has had serious effects on my mental health, specifically because of my narcolepsy which creates serious issues for me when my mental health is strained. Because of these issues, which had gotten worse over the last two years, I have failed courses even as I tried my best to turn my academic standing around and finish my degree strong. Accepting my situation needed to change I switched programs from the Bachelor of Arts Honors to the Bachelor of Arts three year degree plan last year and after meeting with academic advisors made plans to finish my remainder of my degree online at home with a stronger support network. This plan was compromised when this last year I received devastating news just as I was beginning to make the necessary changes to adjust my academic standing and finish my degree. Last Fall 2024 term I received news in October that my maternal grandmother was dying of lung cancer and had weeks or months to live. This news was deeply upsetting to me as my grandmother was a close source of support and love, with her living in the province as the rest of my family lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her illness and mortality was deeply upsetting but I was blessed to be able to visit her quickly. She passed later that month. This sudden loss was a tipping point and created an isolating effect. I was not able or perhaps capable of getting mental health support at Queen’s, having had terrible experiences in the past when trying to deal with the Queen’s health resources for my narcolepsy as reaching my family doctor in Vancouver from Ontario would repeatedly prove difficult. Due to these issues I do not have easy access to documentation of my mental state in the wake of my grandmother's illness and passing but am weeks into the lengthy process of meeting with my family doctor to get documentation of some of these issues and explore further if formal therapy is wise in addition to the improved support network I now have having returned to my family home full time.
I have made plans with academic advisors and following the Queen’s academic plan guides, building upon the plans I made prior to this last year's devastating nose dive. I have built a plan with specific courses selected to enroll in and retake to raise my GPA and graduate, targeting courses I previously got a poor or failing grade in taking care to check they are currently offered. In addition I am making sure not to repeat the mistakes I’ve made in the past of overextending myself as I did in my fifth year, hoping to finish my honors degree when it was not something I was capable of. Most importantly I am back home with my parents, sister and close friends and I know this support network with professional aid can mean a huge difference to my performance. And if I am granted this petition to not withdraw for one year I know I can finish my degree and move onto my next chapter in life proud of my time at Queen’s and standing on a strong foundation. I do not know what I can do if I am required due to my failings to withdraw for one year as I’ve struggled with mental health as a student on campus and am frightened of falling deep into a hole if I can’t progress for a year. I don’t think there is anything I would want more than executing on my academic plan, graduating this coming year in my degree and going forward in life as a Queen’s graduate. I have struggled with issues as everyone has, including some chronic extreme issues not all of which I've obtained accommodation for but I believe I deserve a chance as my attempts to regroup and institute my new academic plan in a stronger support network were sabotaged by tragedy and loss.
Thanks, Jack Allen.
I have made plans with academic advisors and following the Queen’s academic plan guides, building upon the plans I made prior to this last year's devastating nose dive. I have built a plan with specific courses selected to enroll in and retake to raise my GPA and graduate, targeting courses I previously got a poor or failing grade in taking care to check they are currently offered. In addition I am making sure not to repeat the mistakes I’ve made in the past of overextending myself as I did in my fifth year, hoping to finish my honors degree when it was not something I was capable of. Most importantly I am back home with my parents, sister and close friends and I know this support network with professional aid can mean a huge difference to my performance. And if I am granted this petition to not withdraw for one year I know I can finish my degree and move onto my next chapter in life proud of my time at Queen’s and standing on a strong foundation. I do not know what I can do if I am required due to my failings to withdraw for one year as I’ve struggled with mental health as a student on campus and am frightened of falling deep into a hole if I can’t progress for a year. I don’t think there is anything I would want more than executing on my academic plan, graduating this coming year in my degree and going forward in life as a Queen’s graduate. I have struggled with issues as everyone has, including some chronic extreme issues not all of which I've obtained accommodation for but I believe I deserve a chance as my attempts to regroup and institute my new academic plan in a stronger support network were sabotaged by tragedy and loss.
Thanks, Jack Allen.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: I have struggled with issues for much of the last two years at Queen's but have tried to push through, sometimes when it would of been far wiser to realize my limitations and issues and regroup. Two years ago I tried to make a grand push to finish my BAH degree and it resulted in devastating failure. Following that I accepted my limitations and consulted with academic advisors. I switched degrees to the BA program and made plans to finish my degree online with a stronger support network. I feel I didn't get to execute on this plan as tragedy struck last year and I lost my grandmother. My adjusted academic plan is as follows: switching to the Bachelor of Arts 3 year program from the Bachelor of Arts Honors. Not taking upper year history courses as their level of intensity proved a weakness for my mental health struggles and their interactions with my narcolepsy. I have made a plan of targeted courses I have performed poorly in or failed to retake this Fall 2024 and Winter 2024 term. With solid performance in them, as I know I can achieve when taking a light course load in the right supportive enviroment, I can raise my GPA and achieve what I want most, graduating proudly from Queen's University.
Documentation
Professional Letter: Personal Letter on Extenuating Circumstances 20110715.docx
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Documentation Detail: Letter attesting to personal circumstances from close family member.
Decision Letters
Level 1 Status
Status: DeniedLevel 2
Appeal Type: Level 2
ID: 284
Submitted: July 29, 2024 at 11:05:42 PM
Relevant Petition: 12066
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: The petition denial decision references my chronic condition when that is not the intent of my petition. References to my chronic condition are for context, to explain and contextualize this past years struggles as seperate from previous academic failings and to explain how the extenuating circumstance suffered was heightened by but not due to chronic issues.
I also must object to the fairness and reasoning of references to the week 7 and 8 course drop deadline. As noted in my documentation and personal letters from me and my family, my grandmother passed on October 24 and I found out shortly afterwards and the funeral and understanding of the seriousness of my mental health and emotional distress was not apparent until after the October 28 deadline.
I also must object to the fairness and reasoning of references to the week 7 and 8 course drop deadline. As noted in my documentation and personal letters from me and my family, my grandmother passed on October 24 and I found out shortly afterwards and the funeral and understanding of the seriousness of my mental health and emotional distress was not apparent until after the October 28 deadline.
Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter: In Associate Dean Jenn Stephenson's decision letter they reference denying the petition because the appeal process is not meant for chronic conditions. I completely understand this, both because my chronic conditions are partially included in my standing accommodation with the university and because allowing my continued attendance with the same chronic conditions would be unhelpful and only lead to repeats of these cirumstances. But my petition is not based on those chronic conditions and I must state this strongly.
Through miscommunication in my appeal or a misunderstanding of my evidence letter, my understanding is the Associate Dean denied the petition due to claims of the chronic conditions but this is not my petition's claim. I am petitioning the school based on the specific extenuating circumstance of my grandmothers death this past october and the intense emotional distress cause by it through the fall term into the winter term. The details given about my chronic condition were meant to give context to how my emotional distress and mental health issues caused by my grandmothers passing were heightened but ultimately the chronic condition is not directly related to my petition claim. I included this context among other reasons noted above, in the hopes of clarity to the possible question of
Through miscommunication in my appeal or a misunderstanding of my evidence letter, my understanding is the Associate Dean denied the petition due to claims of the chronic conditions but this is not my petition's claim. I am petitioning the school based on the specific extenuating circumstance of my grandmothers death this past october and the intense emotional distress cause by it through the fall term into the winter term. The details given about my chronic condition were meant to give context to how my emotional distress and mental health issues caused by my grandmothers passing were heightened but ultimately the chronic condition is not directly related to my petition claim. I included this context among other reasons noted above, in the hopes of clarity to the possible question of
Documentation
I plan to submit additional documentation at a later date: I am still in the process of obtaining medical documents from my doctor to help with my claims, unfortunately this extenuating circumstance was deeply personal and beyond the documentation of her passing and the personal testimonies from myself and close family members I find myself with little documentation possible to provide.
If I can get the time with my doctor I will do everything possible to have these further documentations in the coming weeks if helpful. But the crux of my appeal is a objection to the evaluation of my already existing petition and its arguments.
If I can get the time with my doctor I will do everything possible to have these further documentations in the coming weeks if helpful. But the crux of my appeal is a objection to the evaluation of my already existing petition and its arguments.
History
Originally submitted June 14, 2024 at 11:55:04 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Incomplete | Kerri Andrews | 2024-06-16 8:51:05 PM | |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | In Review | Kerri Andrews | 2024-06-26 6:00:02 PM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Denied | Kerri Andrews | 2024-07-15 3:32:44 PM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D. | Kerri Andrews | 2024-07-15 3:32:44 PM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Kerri Andrews | 2024-07-15 3:35:29 PM | |
| new_appeal_level_2 | N/A | Level 2 | Level 2 Appeal ID: 284 | 17jjla | 2024-07-29 11:05:42 PM | |
| status | N/A | Received | Denied | Libby Hearn | 2024-10-11 1:22:34 PM |