Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 2551
Submitted: August 10, 2016 at 12:58:37 AM
First Name: Paul
Last Name: Paquette
Student Number: 20036323
Email: 16pjp@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAS
Plan: Psych Major
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: WRIT 125
Term: Summer
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: 8 August, 2016
To the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Queen's University:
Good day. My name is Paul Paquette, Student 20036323. I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts and Science Psychology Major program at Queen's University as an Interest Student distance learner. I am also a Regular Force Member of the Royal Canadian Navy and married with 3 children.
I am submitting this Appeal to be dropped from WRIT 125 (2 May-22 Jul, 2016 Summer Session), and to be re-loaded onto the WRIT 125 Fall session (12 Sep-2 Dec, 2016 Fall Session) without academic penalty or re-payment of tuition for this course.
This was the first course taken in my selected academic program and the Pilot phase for testing how Distance University learning would blend in with my ongoing Full-Time Professional Military career and active Family life. When I sent my application for enrollment earlier this year as an Interest
Student for distance learning, I already factored in the time constraints that my full-time active duty schedule would have in my choice to pursue part-time academic studies. In my application process, I reasoned that I would begin with one distance course at a time to assess
how well part-time academic studies would integrate into my busy timetable. For the first 3 weeks of the Summer Session, I felt good about balancing my life and the course load needs. But by the 4th week of Course ( beginning the 4th week of May), I was Deployed Internationally with my Military Unit for the following 6 weeks (Returning around the end of the first week of July). Although facing a high-tempo Deployment and working long odd hours, it was still feasible for me to carry on with my WRIT 125 assignments (although there was one instance where I informed my course Tutor of an impossibility with meeting one assignment deadline due to an Operational time limitation precluding me from doing so. This was easily remedied by my Tutor who was very accommodating). But you must know that prior to my Deployment and for reasons that need not be mentioned here, my wife and I had been experiencing increasing marital difficulties. These difficulties were amplified greatly as a result of my being away from family on Deployment. That situation impressed upon me a great deal of stress. Not only was I managing workplace stress and academic deadlines, which in itself was manageable, but there also weighed heavily upon me the arduous burden of going through and dealing with a marital breakdown involving 3 children from a distance. This situation negatively impacted me by: reducing the amount of time I could physically dedicate to meeting WRIT 125 assignment deadlines, and making it near impossible for me to mentally engage in the course subject material. As I was away on Deployment, there was very little I could do to mitigate the effects my circumstances had on successfully continuing with the WRIT 125 program. My Chain of Command provided extra off-time for me to complete my assignments but in my then emotionally vulnerable and weakened state, it made little difference. It was at this point, near the end of my Deployment, that I decided to seek help from Professional services upon my return home (Personal and Marriage Counselling - See attached Documentation). I also decided to inform my course Instructor, Jean Prinsen, that I was no longer capable of carrying on with completing the course at that time (9 July), and queried her about what my options were to drop the course and jump onto the next one (see email chain attached).
The future plan that I propose is to be loaded onto WRIT 125 for the Fall Semester (12 Sep - 2 Dec, 2016). Currently I am seeking personal as well as marriage counselling to resolve the issues that have affected me. The time of crisis has passed and the situation is now stabilized. The processes for my well being are now in place, and I am in a better position to proactively deal with these circumstances should they re-occur.
Paul Paquette
Encl. Letter from Professional Counsellor
Email Correspondence from Instructor
To the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Queen's University:
Good day. My name is Paul Paquette, Student 20036323. I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts and Science Psychology Major program at Queen's University as an Interest Student distance learner. I am also a Regular Force Member of the Royal Canadian Navy and married with 3 children.
I am submitting this Appeal to be dropped from WRIT 125 (2 May-22 Jul, 2016 Summer Session), and to be re-loaded onto the WRIT 125 Fall session (12 Sep-2 Dec, 2016 Fall Session) without academic penalty or re-payment of tuition for this course.
This was the first course taken in my selected academic program and the Pilot phase for testing how Distance University learning would blend in with my ongoing Full-Time Professional Military career and active Family life. When I sent my application for enrollment earlier this year as an Interest
Student for distance learning, I already factored in the time constraints that my full-time active duty schedule would have in my choice to pursue part-time academic studies. In my application process, I reasoned that I would begin with one distance course at a time to assess
how well part-time academic studies would integrate into my busy timetable. For the first 3 weeks of the Summer Session, I felt good about balancing my life and the course load needs. But by the 4th week of Course ( beginning the 4th week of May), I was Deployed Internationally with my Military Unit for the following 6 weeks (Returning around the end of the first week of July). Although facing a high-tempo Deployment and working long odd hours, it was still feasible for me to carry on with my WRIT 125 assignments (although there was one instance where I informed my course Tutor of an impossibility with meeting one assignment deadline due to an Operational time limitation precluding me from doing so. This was easily remedied by my Tutor who was very accommodating). But you must know that prior to my Deployment and for reasons that need not be mentioned here, my wife and I had been experiencing increasing marital difficulties. These difficulties were amplified greatly as a result of my being away from family on Deployment. That situation impressed upon me a great deal of stress. Not only was I managing workplace stress and academic deadlines, which in itself was manageable, but there also weighed heavily upon me the arduous burden of going through and dealing with a marital breakdown involving 3 children from a distance. This situation negatively impacted me by: reducing the amount of time I could physically dedicate to meeting WRIT 125 assignment deadlines, and making it near impossible for me to mentally engage in the course subject material. As I was away on Deployment, there was very little I could do to mitigate the effects my circumstances had on successfully continuing with the WRIT 125 program. My Chain of Command provided extra off-time for me to complete my assignments but in my then emotionally vulnerable and weakened state, it made little difference. It was at this point, near the end of my Deployment, that I decided to seek help from Professional services upon my return home (Personal and Marriage Counselling - See attached Documentation). I also decided to inform my course Instructor, Jean Prinsen, that I was no longer capable of carrying on with completing the course at that time (9 July), and queried her about what my options were to drop the course and jump onto the next one (see email chain attached).
The future plan that I propose is to be loaded onto WRIT 125 for the Fall Semester (12 Sep - 2 Dec, 2016). Currently I am seeking personal as well as marriage counselling to resolve the issues that have affected me. The time of crisis has passed and the situation is now stabilized. The processes for my well being are now in place, and I am in a better position to proactively deal with these circumstances should they re-occur.
Paul Paquette
Encl. Letter from Professional Counsellor
Email Correspondence from Instructor
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: To iterate what my Appeal Letter states, the reason I dropped WRIT 125 was not because I am a full-time Military member, that I was away for an extended period (6 weeks of the course program), or that I had difficulty with the course content, but rather that I was struck with a very challenging personal crisis. A marriage breakdown while abroad and it's consumption of my time and energy.
My Academic Plan is very straight forward.
I have taken the appropriate steps to resolve the situation and as a result, my marital crisis has now subsided. I will have a more stable timetable for the next 7 months in my work place and my life situation has improved to a place where I no longer need to expend most of my time and energy on solving personal issues. By enlisting the help of professionals, I have been able to overcome the difficulties I experienced during my last attempt at completing WRIT 125. Therefore, I am in a better position now to re-engage with my Academic activities.
If the Assistant Dean's Office sees fit, I propose to be re-loaded onto WRIT 125 for the Fall Semester course (12 Sep - 02 Dec, 2016).
Sincerely,
Paul Paquette
My Academic Plan is very straight forward.
I have taken the appropriate steps to resolve the situation and as a result, my marital crisis has now subsided. I will have a more stable timetable for the next 7 months in my work place and my life situation has improved to a place where I no longer need to expend most of my time and energy on solving personal issues. By enlisting the help of professionals, I have been able to overcome the difficulties I experienced during my last attempt at completing WRIT 125. Therefore, I am in a better position now to re-engage with my Academic activities.
If the Assistant Dean's Office sees fit, I propose to be re-loaded onto WRIT 125 for the Fall Semester course (12 Sep - 02 Dec, 2016).
Sincerely,
Paul Paquette
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: (This Webpage will not allow me to upload my electronic copy) Sent by Mail: Medical Health Professional Letter