Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean of the faculty of Arts and Science,

I am writing a letter of appeal in request to drop a summer term course (2014) past the course drop date deadline. The course I am requesting to drop is Film 260 ¿¿ Digital media and theory.

The extenuating circumstances that have present themselves are a combination of full time work, while in the pursuit of Queens athletic success and also local and national rugby training. This summer term had some unexpected time commitments that hinder the time that is needed to successfully complete required readings and assignments that are associated with the condensed course that is Film 260 and hinders my ability to perform academically at my best. With working full time hours at a combination establishments of landscape construction (50 hours a week) and the YMCA of Oakville, a great amount of study time that could be allocated to working on the course has been taken away so that I can be financially sufficient when returning to full time studies in the fall. Combined with this job is the aspect of required training prescribed by Paul Oneid, the Queens University varsity strength and conditioning coach. As I am on the Queens men¿¿s varsity rugby team I am training tirelessly working towards continuing success for the coming rugby season in the fall. The intense 4 day strength program and agility program require me to spend a lot of time in training in the gym and while working full time I have to squeeze sessions in whenever I can, mostly in the mornings before a work shift starts. While a lot of time is allocated to strength training, coaches also strongly advise the involvement on summer time, regional rugby. As I am also enlisted and playing for the Oakville crusaders rugby club to continue to practice for the up coming queens seasons I am required to attend 2, 3 hour training sessions a week as well as fully day events, such as tournaments and games on the weekends. With a fully day of Queens strength training combined with full time work and also skills training with regional rugby clubs, there is already very little time that can be allocated to study. Going along with this time commitment there is a strenuous amount of mental and physical fatigue, which makes the 14 readings plus assignment, quite challenging to keep up with every week. On top of these full day commitments as of two weeks ago I was lucky enough to be selected to play rugby nationally for Canada with the National Canada men¿¿s rugby league team. On top of regional and Queens rugby commitment I feel that with the recent selection the time commitment needed is overwhelming, being able to perform at a national level is personally very important to me, as it has been a personal goal of mine my entire life and it would mean very much to my family that I could fully commit and pursue excellence at a national level and on the world stage. Practices fall on the odd days in which regional practices do not, meaning that every day of the week the morning day and night is booked up with strength training, work and rugby practice, leaving a miniscule amount of time to complete this condensed course. I would not want a summer course that I enrolled in to get ahead, to hinder my training and pursuit of rugby at a OUA and national level and vice versa, I would not like athletics to let that hinder my academic standing.

As this is a course I took in terms of the idea of getting ahead with my academics, this unforeseen national selection hindered the fact. With that in mind the national test game series comes to and end within the first week of September as does full time work, summer training season. I intend to use all of the resources available to balance my academics and athletics with tools such as varsity tutoring service and academic councilors. I intend to attend time managing workshops offered by the Learning commons in Stauffer library and look into LSAT prep courses as I intend to write my LSATS the following December and also in July. As I stated I intended at the beginning of the summer to take this course to get ahead but in recent light of these extenuating circumstances I do not want to hinder my academic success as I try to pursue academic excellence in the coming school years in hopes of future graduate school and pursuit of my Kinesiology degree.

I do hope I have stated my reasoning clearly and that the time commitment in order to pursue national and OUA athletics, while being financially secure during full time studies.

Best Regards,

Toby Sharland