Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 1367
Submitted: August 25, 2015 at 4:54:29 PM
First Name: Keirsten
Last Name: Smith
Student Number: 10059641
Email: 11ks72@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: HIST
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,
I am requesting to have the courses that resulted in F on my transcript removed from the Winter Semester of 2014 to the Fall Semester of 2014.
The extenuating circumstances that prevented me from appealing within the deadline, included; manic depressive episodes, general physical ailments including bronchitis multiple times, strep throat and a knee injury. I was unable to go to class and or to even advocate for myself, so I didn't try to drop my classes at this time. I felt like I could complete the assignments given by my professors.
Unfortunately, between my mental health and other factors, I fell behind in my academic studies, and could only manage to complete half of my required assignments or tasks within my courses. I did however, contact a few Professors mentioning that I was having a difficult time, however, no one suggested that I should have dropped my courses for that semester.
I feared that if I dropped my courses, that I would have been wasting money and would have to redo my courses over again. This presented a problem for my financial well being, as well as for my mental health, because I had severe financial issues at this time. Further, OSAP wouldn't give me money because of my grades, compounding my financial issues.
My mental health was so compromised that I did not have the ability to seek out help from a professional. It made it more difficult because my family Doctor changed twice during this time period, and did not have continuity with my family doctor.
I did not appeal for my failures, because I did not receive a fail letter, explaining the failures. Thus, I did not know that there was a certain number of days to appeal.
In the summer after second year, I registered for two online courses to try to catch up, and thought I could catch up at home. However, family issues and emergencies made it very difficult. I failed both courses and failed to drop them before the deadline because I was able to work through my online courses, until these unforeseen circumstances occurred, making it unmanageable to continue with them. At that time it was too late to drop the courses without getting an academic penalty.
In the Fall 2014 of my third year, I failed my only half course because of the manic depressive episodes, abnormal sleeping patterns, unforeseen family circumstances, such as a death, financial problems and family illnesses. Further, the house I was staying in was detrimental to my mental health. I felt unsafe living there, but was bound by a lease. I thought I could balance my mental health with school, however, I became more depressed because of the hostile environment I was living in. I did not drop my courses then because I thought I would seem to be a failure, especially knowing that I had financial problems and probably could not continue to redo another year. It then got a bit better, but then I was overwhelmed by the workload, which accumulated. In addition, most of my assignments were in November of that semester, and I felt too overwhelmed to continue.
I moved back home exhausted and full of hopelessness that I could not even focus on school. I met with a new family Doctor who saw symptoms of a Manic Depressive Disorder, and I was monitored throughout December.
After being home, I felt better mentally, and decided to go back to school to see if I could do better in my courses and make up for the failures. The Registrar's Office notified the advisor, to whom was very concerned with what was happening and reached out to me. It wasn't until an academic advisor in my Concurrent Education Program reached out to me, that I started to receive help. My housing situation was not improving, but was getting worse, so it was then suggested by academic advisors that I drop my courses for the Winter 2015 Semester and move back home to a safe and loving environment.
Currently, I am seeking professional help, through my family Doctor, a psychiatrist, and counselling. I am living a more healthy and active lifestyle. I have balanced my life and my mental illness has improved. I have asked for the failures to be removed from my transcript, because I would like to move forward with my academic studies. Further, I spoke with an Arts and Science academic advisor and she suggested that I should make an appeal to do so. I understand that I have passed the 21 deadline to appeal, however, due to these factors listed above, I hope you will take this appeal into consideration.
Sincerely,
Keirsten Smith
10059641
11ks72@queensu.ca
I am requesting to have the courses that resulted in F on my transcript removed from the Winter Semester of 2014 to the Fall Semester of 2014.
The extenuating circumstances that prevented me from appealing within the deadline, included; manic depressive episodes, general physical ailments including bronchitis multiple times, strep throat and a knee injury. I was unable to go to class and or to even advocate for myself, so I didn't try to drop my classes at this time. I felt like I could complete the assignments given by my professors.
Unfortunately, between my mental health and other factors, I fell behind in my academic studies, and could only manage to complete half of my required assignments or tasks within my courses. I did however, contact a few Professors mentioning that I was having a difficult time, however, no one suggested that I should have dropped my courses for that semester.
I feared that if I dropped my courses, that I would have been wasting money and would have to redo my courses over again. This presented a problem for my financial well being, as well as for my mental health, because I had severe financial issues at this time. Further, OSAP wouldn't give me money because of my grades, compounding my financial issues.
My mental health was so compromised that I did not have the ability to seek out help from a professional. It made it more difficult because my family Doctor changed twice during this time period, and did not have continuity with my family doctor.
I did not appeal for my failures, because I did not receive a fail letter, explaining the failures. Thus, I did not know that there was a certain number of days to appeal.
In the summer after second year, I registered for two online courses to try to catch up, and thought I could catch up at home. However, family issues and emergencies made it very difficult. I failed both courses and failed to drop them before the deadline because I was able to work through my online courses, until these unforeseen circumstances occurred, making it unmanageable to continue with them. At that time it was too late to drop the courses without getting an academic penalty.
In the Fall 2014 of my third year, I failed my only half course because of the manic depressive episodes, abnormal sleeping patterns, unforeseen family circumstances, such as a death, financial problems and family illnesses. Further, the house I was staying in was detrimental to my mental health. I felt unsafe living there, but was bound by a lease. I thought I could balance my mental health with school, however, I became more depressed because of the hostile environment I was living in. I did not drop my courses then because I thought I would seem to be a failure, especially knowing that I had financial problems and probably could not continue to redo another year. It then got a bit better, but then I was overwhelmed by the workload, which accumulated. In addition, most of my assignments were in November of that semester, and I felt too overwhelmed to continue.
I moved back home exhausted and full of hopelessness that I could not even focus on school. I met with a new family Doctor who saw symptoms of a Manic Depressive Disorder, and I was monitored throughout December.
After being home, I felt better mentally, and decided to go back to school to see if I could do better in my courses and make up for the failures. The Registrar's Office notified the advisor, to whom was very concerned with what was happening and reached out to me. It wasn't until an academic advisor in my Concurrent Education Program reached out to me, that I started to receive help. My housing situation was not improving, but was getting worse, so it was then suggested by academic advisors that I drop my courses for the Winter 2015 Semester and move back home to a safe and loving environment.
Currently, I am seeking professional help, through my family Doctor, a psychiatrist, and counselling. I am living a more healthy and active lifestyle. I have balanced my life and my mental illness has improved. I have asked for the failures to be removed from my transcript, because I would like to move forward with my academic studies. Further, I spoke with an Arts and Science academic advisor and she suggested that I should make an appeal to do so. I understand that I have passed the 21 deadline to appeal, however, due to these factors listed above, I hope you will take this appeal into consideration.
Sincerely,
Keirsten Smith
10059641
11ks72@queensu.ca