Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 12086
Submitted: June 22, 2024 at 4:22:12 AM
First Name: Jason
Last Name: Crooks
Pronoun: he/him
Student Number: 20346046
Email: 21jc159@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: GPHY
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Crooks, Jason
367 Brock Street
Kingston, ON K7L 1T3
Dear Dr. Stephenson,
My name is Jason Crooks, and I am petitioning the faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from Queen’s for a minimum of one year.
My grandmother (on my father's side) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease many years ago and it took a big tole on a lot of my family. She was the mother to many sons and daughters, but my father was the youngest and often referred to as the closest to her as he was the one that housed her. She ended up moving around a year after the diagnosis into my aunt's house where she needed care almost 24/7. This resulted in me not being able to see her as often as I once used to. There were many points in my childhood where I was being “raised” or taken care of by my grandmother, so I was so used to her being around. Having her move out to a place almost an hour and a half away did affect my grade upper high-school years. However, I got used to it only because I was still able to talk to her on the phone and see her once a month. The Alzheimer's progressed very quickly resulting in many of the people she loved being forgotten, which included my whole “direct” family. With my aunt being as old as she was and not capable of providing my grandmother with the care she needed, my grandmother moved back to Jamaica where she had other children who could directly care for her. With COVID also being a problem, my family thought Jamaica was the best place for her. This change also was also pushed to get my grandmother out of the harsh weather conditions that came with living through Canada’s winters. The move to Jamaica happened around 2-3 years ago and with my grandmother being around 87 at this point we knew that it would not be getting any better for her.
Her care was going well but took a turn for the worse at the end summer of last year. At this point, I was only able to hear from my grandmother through WhatsApp calls and messages, and it was not often I heard from her. At this point I was getting ready to start my second year at Queens and move out of residence and the school. I was around a little less than a month into that year going smoothly, but that was quickly halted when I received a message from my father saying his mother was hospitalized in Jamaica. This happened in early October, and it really killed my motivation. I saw my grandmother who practically raised me, forgetting everyone she knew, in so much pain, and in the hospital and there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted to be home more than I wanted to be at school, and my mental health really took a hit. This paired with the fact that my father, at that time, had a change in his insurance policy at work, which meant I was unable to receive a refill for my medication that I take daily. Last year was so hard for me due to all the travelling from Kingston to Mississauga, to see my family because that was all I wanted to be around at that point. I wanted to be around family and that was the only thing that seemed like it was helping, but home was just far from school.
She was hospitalized several times over the past year and unfortunately passed away at the age of 89, on May 17, 2024. I was unable to be at school and away from my family for most of the exam period and the end of school, which affected my classes. I was present when she was laid to rest in Jamaica on June 1st. This helped me process what happened and not having to see my grandma suffering and in pain really has helped me and my mental state. I have made my peace with my grandma being laid to rest and I am happy she is no longer in pain.
P.S. - If you have any questions feel free to reach out, I will gladly go into more detail about anything if needed.
Thank you,
Jason Crooks
367 Brock Street
Kingston, ON K7L 1T3
Dear Dr. Stephenson,
My name is Jason Crooks, and I am petitioning the faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from Queen’s for a minimum of one year.
My grandmother (on my father's side) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease many years ago and it took a big tole on a lot of my family. She was the mother to many sons and daughters, but my father was the youngest and often referred to as the closest to her as he was the one that housed her. She ended up moving around a year after the diagnosis into my aunt's house where she needed care almost 24/7. This resulted in me not being able to see her as often as I once used to. There were many points in my childhood where I was being “raised” or taken care of by my grandmother, so I was so used to her being around. Having her move out to a place almost an hour and a half away did affect my grade upper high-school years. However, I got used to it only because I was still able to talk to her on the phone and see her once a month. The Alzheimer's progressed very quickly resulting in many of the people she loved being forgotten, which included my whole “direct” family. With my aunt being as old as she was and not capable of providing my grandmother with the care she needed, my grandmother moved back to Jamaica where she had other children who could directly care for her. With COVID also being a problem, my family thought Jamaica was the best place for her. This change also was also pushed to get my grandmother out of the harsh weather conditions that came with living through Canada’s winters. The move to Jamaica happened around 2-3 years ago and with my grandmother being around 87 at this point we knew that it would not be getting any better for her.
Her care was going well but took a turn for the worse at the end summer of last year. At this point, I was only able to hear from my grandmother through WhatsApp calls and messages, and it was not often I heard from her. At this point I was getting ready to start my second year at Queens and move out of residence and the school. I was around a little less than a month into that year going smoothly, but that was quickly halted when I received a message from my father saying his mother was hospitalized in Jamaica. This happened in early October, and it really killed my motivation. I saw my grandmother who practically raised me, forgetting everyone she knew, in so much pain, and in the hospital and there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted to be home more than I wanted to be at school, and my mental health really took a hit. This paired with the fact that my father, at that time, had a change in his insurance policy at work, which meant I was unable to receive a refill for my medication that I take daily. Last year was so hard for me due to all the travelling from Kingston to Mississauga, to see my family because that was all I wanted to be around at that point. I wanted to be around family and that was the only thing that seemed like it was helping, but home was just far from school.
She was hospitalized several times over the past year and unfortunately passed away at the age of 89, on May 17, 2024. I was unable to be at school and away from my family for most of the exam period and the end of school, which affected my classes. I was present when she was laid to rest in Jamaica on June 1st. This helped me process what happened and not having to see my grandma suffering and in pain really has helped me and my mental state. I have made my peace with my grandma being laid to rest and I am happy she is no longer in pain.
P.S. - If you have any questions feel free to reach out, I will gladly go into more detail about anything if needed.
Thank you,
Jason Crooks
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Being a graduate student from an IB program in high school and already completing my first year at Queens while having a job, I know that I am capable of due the work required for me at Queens. Moving forward, I do not think the workload is a problem for me. Saying that, I have already contacted academic advisors to see what my best options are if my petition does go through and am fully ready to return to school and complete my studies to get my degree. The circumstance that affected my last year will not happen again and although my grandma is unfortunately no longer with me, I know she would not want me taking a year of school because of my last year. I will continue to talk to academic advisors on the process of petitioning to drop a course after the academic deadline and have already started taking steps to make sure my next year goes as smoothly as possible.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Document: IMG_1390.jpg
Documentation Detail: A post that was made for my grandma's funeral
Decision Letters
Level 1 Status
Status: DeniedLevel 2
Appeal Type: Level 2
ID: 278
Submitted: July 22, 2024 at 11:58:11 PM
Relevant Petition: 12086
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:
- Follow the university rules and regulations in a way that supported your right to a fair process.
Appeal Grounds Details: I submitted my petition on the grounds that I was not in the mental state throughout the majority of the year, due to my grandmother being placed in intensive care and passing away after moving back home to Jamaica. The petition was denied on the grounds that if my petition was to be accepted it would ruin the integrity of your system. I did not provide any evidence. The decision was a valid decision at the time because I only provided a photo of the funeral pamphlet. The Associate Dean’s decision addressed how that was the only reason my petition was not accepted. However I now have a death certificate and also further evidence in my mother who was my therapist at the time.
Appeal Letter
Appeal Letter: I am starting off this letter getting straight to the point. I know that my petition was denied because I did not provide enough evidence for my extenuating circumstance. However I now have the death certificate, and further evidence my mother. I moved back and fourth between my house and home and my mother was the main one who I talked to and who drove me there and back.
I would like to further state my point because writing is not the easiest way I get things done. I would like to attend the board meeting because my evidence would have to be provided by my mother through an email or over zoom at the board meeting. My moms phone number will be listed below and I hope you can give her a call.
I was not talking to my friends about the issue even though they called a lot and I know that the school has rules about what can and can not be used as evidence. However in this case, I think that due to the circumstances of what happened, my mom basically being my only rock in this scenario, she should be able to be consulted as evidence.
Thank You,
Jason Crooks
I would like to further state my point because writing is not the easiest way I get things done. I would like to attend the board meeting because my evidence would have to be provided by my mother through an email or over zoom at the board meeting. My moms phone number will be listed below and I hope you can give her a call.
I was not talking to my friends about the issue even though they called a lot and I know that the school has rules about what can and can not be used as evidence. However in this case, I think that due to the circumstances of what happened, my mom basically being my only rock in this scenario, she should be able to be consulted as evidence.
Thank You,
Jason Crooks
Documentation
Document: PHOTO-2024-07-08-18-10-15.jpg
I plan to submit additional documentation at a later date: Mother: 416-602-9970
History
Originally submitted June 22, 2024 at 4:22:12 AM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | In Review | Kerri Andrews | 2024-06-25 10:43:27 AM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Denied | Kerri Andrews | 2024-07-08 12:05:08 PM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D. | Kerri Andrews | 2024-07-08 12:05:08 PM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Kerri Andrews | 2024-07-08 12:05:58 PM | |
| new_appeal_level_2 | N/A | Level 2 | Level 2 Appeal ID: 278 | 21jc159 | 2024-07-22 11:58:11 PM | |
| status | N/A | Received | Granted with Conditions | I have determined that the Requirement to Withdraw can be removed and this student return to studies in Fall 2024. I am placing this student on part time status however, limited to maximum 9.0 units p | Libby Hearn | 2024-08-20 9:09:12 AM |