Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 3682
Submitted: July 19, 2017 at 2:35:08 PM
First Name: Colin
Last Name: McDougall
Student Number: 10104431
Email: 13cpm@queensu.ca
Degree Program: B.A general
Plan: SOCY
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To whom this may concern,
My name is Colin McDougall, my student number is 10104431 and I am studying sociology at Queens University. I am submitting this appeal in hopes of waiving the 21 day deadline to appeal my requirement to withdraw.
When asked why I did not respond or appeal the decision made by the faculty I was slightly confused because I had never seen the email. I do check my email frequently but I just couldn¿¿t find it. Unfortunately I had not been checking my clutter emails and that is where the withdrawal letter was hiding which I just recently found. I completely understand the onus is on me in terms of checking all areas of my email but I never thought information that substantial would ever be in the clutter.
There is not much of an excuse that can be made for not going into my clutter and finding the email but it came at a weird time in my life. With a final diagnosis in March accompanied not too long after with life altering medication, I was focussed too much on the future. Every week my health improved and my ability to walk significantly improved so it was different for me getting back in the swing of things. I made the late decision to appeal to drop courses and extend others in order to complete them at a time where I was healthy and capable of doing so. Thus from the time I started my medication and to this point I have been looking at my future and the changes that need to be made to succeed to my full capabilities. To be completely honest I was so excited and focused on a plan for a fresh start to the 2017-2018 school year that I was blindsided by the request to withdraw. I thought that getting through this year and having those courses to complete was the end of the difficult times and a beginning to a fair chance of succeeding at a high level while attending Queen¿¿s.
I wish I had seen the email and responded within the 21 day deadline because I have a very strong academic plan and many goals I would like to achieve in my future at Queen¿¿s University. I hope that I get the opportunity to thoroughly outline the plan and goals I have. I truly want to prove to the school, myself, my family and friends that I can, when given a fair opportunity with nothing standing in my path exceed expectations and receive amazing grades.
Overall, what I am trying to get at is, after three or four of the most difficult years of my life, reaching the lowest of lows for me personally my life has taken a complete 180 turn for the best. The end of the 2017 winter semester and beginning of summer was busy from, diagnosis, medication, appeals, to future plan. I became overwhelmed with joy thinking that it was all over and I didn¿¿t have anything to worry about other then completing extended courses and moving forward successfully in the next semester of school. Essentially I did not think I would be asked to withdraw I thought everything was over and my focus was solely on my future plan and success. A result of thinking there was nothing to worry about left me focusing on staying physically active through sports and working five days a week. It was only when I went to find my enrolment time and date that I was aware of my educational standing.
As aforementioned the onus is on me for not checking my clutter emails, I was just so happy and overwhelmed with being able to function normally and do things I haven¿¿t been able to do for years that I was not on top of searching through emails that were not in my actual inbox. On top of this I had many follow up appointments making me focus on getting my health to one hundred percent. As described through other appeals I feel as though my academic performance was significantly affected by the extenuating circumstances that were out of my control but that is over and I am ready for big changes. I just want to say I love Queen¿¿s and would love a fair shot to succeed there. I sincerely have a real thought out plan that If this appeal were to be granted, would love to explain to you. I am not at university to get poor grades and mess around. I am there to get a good education and excel in my future endeavours.
My name is Colin McDougall, my student number is 10104431 and I am studying sociology at Queens University. I am submitting this appeal in hopes of waiving the 21 day deadline to appeal my requirement to withdraw.
When asked why I did not respond or appeal the decision made by the faculty I was slightly confused because I had never seen the email. I do check my email frequently but I just couldn¿¿t find it. Unfortunately I had not been checking my clutter emails and that is where the withdrawal letter was hiding which I just recently found. I completely understand the onus is on me in terms of checking all areas of my email but I never thought information that substantial would ever be in the clutter.
There is not much of an excuse that can be made for not going into my clutter and finding the email but it came at a weird time in my life. With a final diagnosis in March accompanied not too long after with life altering medication, I was focussed too much on the future. Every week my health improved and my ability to walk significantly improved so it was different for me getting back in the swing of things. I made the late decision to appeal to drop courses and extend others in order to complete them at a time where I was healthy and capable of doing so. Thus from the time I started my medication and to this point I have been looking at my future and the changes that need to be made to succeed to my full capabilities. To be completely honest I was so excited and focused on a plan for a fresh start to the 2017-2018 school year that I was blindsided by the request to withdraw. I thought that getting through this year and having those courses to complete was the end of the difficult times and a beginning to a fair chance of succeeding at a high level while attending Queen¿¿s.
I wish I had seen the email and responded within the 21 day deadline because I have a very strong academic plan and many goals I would like to achieve in my future at Queen¿¿s University. I hope that I get the opportunity to thoroughly outline the plan and goals I have. I truly want to prove to the school, myself, my family and friends that I can, when given a fair opportunity with nothing standing in my path exceed expectations and receive amazing grades.
Overall, what I am trying to get at is, after three or four of the most difficult years of my life, reaching the lowest of lows for me personally my life has taken a complete 180 turn for the best. The end of the 2017 winter semester and beginning of summer was busy from, diagnosis, medication, appeals, to future plan. I became overwhelmed with joy thinking that it was all over and I didn¿¿t have anything to worry about other then completing extended courses and moving forward successfully in the next semester of school. Essentially I did not think I would be asked to withdraw I thought everything was over and my focus was solely on my future plan and success. A result of thinking there was nothing to worry about left me focusing on staying physically active through sports and working five days a week. It was only when I went to find my enrolment time and date that I was aware of my educational standing.
As aforementioned the onus is on me for not checking my clutter emails, I was just so happy and overwhelmed with being able to function normally and do things I haven¿¿t been able to do for years that I was not on top of searching through emails that were not in my actual inbox. On top of this I had many follow up appointments making me focus on getting my health to one hundred percent. As described through other appeals I feel as though my academic performance was significantly affected by the extenuating circumstances that were out of my control but that is over and I am ready for big changes. I just want to say I love Queen¿¿s and would love a fair shot to succeed there. I sincerely have a real thought out plan that If this appeal were to be granted, would love to explain to you. I am not at university to get poor grades and mess around. I am there to get a good education and excel in my future endeavours.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: previous appeals hold documentation. If any more is required I am happy to send it.
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 3682
Relevant Petition: 3682
First Name: Colin
Last Name: McDougall
Student Number: 10104431
Email: 13cpm@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: SOCY
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: My name is Colin McDougall and my student number is 10104431. I am submitting this appeal in hopes of waiving the requirement to withdraw for one year. Throughout my time at Queen¿¿s University, I have unfortunately struggled with extenuating circumstances that have directly impacted my ability to succeed educationally. As previously noted in other appeals, I struggled with physical and psychological issues for multiple years and was eventually diagnosed with an arthritic disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. In many cases this disease ultimately compromises your ability to walk, and causes severe joint pain. The pain started around 2013 on my year off before coming to Queen¿¿s. I arrived with slight joint pain that progressively got worse and started to severely affect my ability to regularly attend lectures. Since that time, I had been burdened by continuous, excruciating pain in mainly my sacroiliac joints. For weeks at a time I was essentially living on the couch or getting carried up to my room by housemates if they were available. The symptoms would fluctuate in severity, so they would either be really bad to the point of immobility, or they would just be there looming over me. These symptoms resulted in an inconsistent attendance record at school. I would go to class whenever I could. Whenever I felt I was having a ¿¿good day¿ in terms of pain, I would attend. With that being said I always felt as though I could succeed or at least get the necessary marks to pass until I found a solution for the pain. I without a doubt should have taken the time to get a proper diagnosis rather than attempt to stay enrolled in school, not attend class, and continue the battery of testing which was to no avail. I was too stubborn to come to this realization because I thought I would still be able to succeed, hoping by the summer I¿¿d be healthy again.
The physical injuries began to take a huge mental toll on me. I was always a very active individual, high energy, lots of passion, tenacity, and an overall desire to succeed. After years of misdiagnosis, pain, and a lack of mobility - that was accompanied by a lack of success educationally - I ended up in a tough place. I wanted to be succeeding at the highest level, to my full capabilities. I was embarrassed about my grades and tired of sitting around on a couch or in bed all day. My extenuating circumstances directly effected my grades, I could hardly attend class and without truly knowing what was wrong with me I didn¿¿t see viable options for accommodations. If I were to attend class there would be a lack of attentiveness because my mind was elsewhere as it was so painful to sit in a chair for extended periods of time. This would effect my study habits and without being in a routine or going to the library, I had little drive. I couldn¿¿t find the motivation because I had nothing to keep me going, and no routine that was easy to repeat on a daily basis. I also believe that staying physically active, especially at university, is one of the most vital things for one¿¿s general well being. I was not able to go outside and then would have to try to take on massive essays without the ability to have a full understanding of the content. I quickly became anxious with work and began feeling depressed not being able to do anything. When my attendance was close to non existent for periods of time, I did not have accommodations or note takers arranged. It was just me stubbornly trying to get through the school year.
The physical injuries began to take a huge mental toll on me. I was always a very active individual, high energy, lots of passion, tenacity, and an overall desire to succeed. After years of misdiagnosis, pain, and a lack of mobility - that was accompanied by a lack of success educationally - I ended up in a tough place. I wanted to be succeeding at the highest level, to my full capabilities. I was embarrassed about my grades and tired of sitting around on a couch or in bed all day. My extenuating circumstances directly effected my grades, I could hardly attend class and without truly knowing what was wrong with me I didn¿¿t see viable options for accommodations. If I were to attend class there would be a lack of attentiveness because my mind was elsewhere as it was so painful to sit in a chair for extended periods of time. This would effect my study habits and without being in a routine or going to the library, I had little drive. I couldn¿¿t find the motivation because I had nothing to keep me going, and no routine that was easy to repeat on a daily basis. I also believe that staying physically active, especially at university, is one of the most vital things for one¿¿s general well being. I was not able to go outside and then would have to try to take on massive essays without the ability to have a full understanding of the content. I quickly became anxious with work and began feeling depressed not being able to do anything. When my attendance was close to non existent for periods of time, I did not have accommodations or note takers arranged. It was just me stubbornly trying to get through the school year.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Going through this journey and getting a final diagnosis has allowed me to move forward with the next steps in my life and focus on a plan. The focus of my studies is to exceed my own expectations. In my opinion I have yet to have a fair opportunity to succeed to my full capabilities and I want nothing more than to have that chance. I came to school to focus on getting a good education and making my friends, family and myself proud of my accomplishments. So far I have not reached any of my goals set and I feel it is from being held back. In the upcoming year I want to solely focus on my education and hard work ethic. I want to prove to everyone that I am back on track and that nothing can hold me back.
In terms of workload, I intend to always be on top of everything in order to never cause moments of stress. I would like to set up my schedule like I would for a day of work. I want to have pre-set times physically written in my schedule that will be appointed to staying on top of readings and doing assignments. I expect to have a fairly average workload with the amount of courses I¿¿ll be taking and I have no doubt in my mind that it will never become too much to handle. I am itching at the opportunity to have a routinized schedule that I can simply repeat and get used to as the start of first semester moves along.
I have many strategies for success in regards to education and life in general. Prior to finding a diagnosis I didn¿¿t have much hope and had little motivation. With a diagnosis and medication that has returned my full range of motion, I have never been more motivated in my life. I want to succeed at a high level, as aforementioned I want to exceed my own expectations of myself. I plan to have a proper sleeping schedule and have every day organized with a plan. I wish to stay active and one of my goals coming into this year was to try out and hopefully make the ultimate Frisbee team. I will study harder than I ever have and most importantly I will be physically capable of attending my classes. This will allow me to retain information learned in lecture and use that to help with my studies outside of class. Other areas I will focus on to ensure success will be using the outstanding counselling and accessibility services offered at Queen¿¿s. I am registered with the Queen¿¿s accessibility services and have seen/spoken with Jay Harris who is well aware of my current situation. The counsellor I have seen over the last two years, Chuck Vetere, has helped me out a lot, especially in the most stressful of times. If I were to be very stressed out or become anxious about not being able to handle my workload, I would meet with Dr. Vetere or Jay. I am sure that there will be no recurrences with my inability to move, but I could still meet with them by weekly or every month just to have someone to speak with and to ensure that I am still on the right path. I am more then willing to even start the semester off with regular meetings to ensure the motivation is still there. I am ready to immediately get back in the swing of things and I am overwhelmingly motivated to do so.
The resources and services at Queen¿¿s are exceptional and I plan to take full advantage of them in my upcoming time at school. In the past it was never the work load or the course content that caused a lack of success. It was extenuating circumstances that stood in the way of reaching my full potential. It is difficult to succeed when you cannot physically attend class. I know it doesn¿¿t come down to solely effort so I am willing to take any necessary steps to succeed. If I am struggling in something I will use the resources available and seek help. It comes down to proper time management skills and never breaking the routine or falling behind in courses. I am physically and mentally prepared for anything that comes my way and I know that I have a large support group that can help me get through this.
I have overcome all situational demands and it has resulted in a better, happier me. I know for sure that no physical issues related to the disease will reoccur and my doctor will confirm that. It was the inability to move that has largely attributed to my lack of success, and the inability to move for years, accompanied by poor grades, caused mental health problems. Since starting my medication I have a daily routine, I stay physically active and I am just ready to take on the world. One large telling factor of the changes I have made is the fact that I work five days a week, eight to thirteen hour shifts.
Lastly I wanted to touch on something that causes much concern on my behalf. The medication I take is very expensive and quite frankly not affordable. I am under my father¿¿s insurance until I am no longer a student but they only provide that coverage with proof of being a university student. If asked to withdraw I will no longer have the coverage and will most likely not be able to afford the medication for more than a couple months. I cannot apply for The Trillium Benefit, the government coverage, until after completing my post-secondary education. This for me, is another reason why I see returning to be vital. After about five months of being on the medication and the substantial changes it has made to my life I cannot see it being healthy going back to how I was before.
Thanks, Colin McDougall.
In terms of workload, I intend to always be on top of everything in order to never cause moments of stress. I would like to set up my schedule like I would for a day of work. I want to have pre-set times physically written in my schedule that will be appointed to staying on top of readings and doing assignments. I expect to have a fairly average workload with the amount of courses I¿¿ll be taking and I have no doubt in my mind that it will never become too much to handle. I am itching at the opportunity to have a routinized schedule that I can simply repeat and get used to as the start of first semester moves along.
I have many strategies for success in regards to education and life in general. Prior to finding a diagnosis I didn¿¿t have much hope and had little motivation. With a diagnosis and medication that has returned my full range of motion, I have never been more motivated in my life. I want to succeed at a high level, as aforementioned I want to exceed my own expectations of myself. I plan to have a proper sleeping schedule and have every day organized with a plan. I wish to stay active and one of my goals coming into this year was to try out and hopefully make the ultimate Frisbee team. I will study harder than I ever have and most importantly I will be physically capable of attending my classes. This will allow me to retain information learned in lecture and use that to help with my studies outside of class. Other areas I will focus on to ensure success will be using the outstanding counselling and accessibility services offered at Queen¿¿s. I am registered with the Queen¿¿s accessibility services and have seen/spoken with Jay Harris who is well aware of my current situation. The counsellor I have seen over the last two years, Chuck Vetere, has helped me out a lot, especially in the most stressful of times. If I were to be very stressed out or become anxious about not being able to handle my workload, I would meet with Dr. Vetere or Jay. I am sure that there will be no recurrences with my inability to move, but I could still meet with them by weekly or every month just to have someone to speak with and to ensure that I am still on the right path. I am more then willing to even start the semester off with regular meetings to ensure the motivation is still there. I am ready to immediately get back in the swing of things and I am overwhelmingly motivated to do so.
The resources and services at Queen¿¿s are exceptional and I plan to take full advantage of them in my upcoming time at school. In the past it was never the work load or the course content that caused a lack of success. It was extenuating circumstances that stood in the way of reaching my full potential. It is difficult to succeed when you cannot physically attend class. I know it doesn¿¿t come down to solely effort so I am willing to take any necessary steps to succeed. If I am struggling in something I will use the resources available and seek help. It comes down to proper time management skills and never breaking the routine or falling behind in courses. I am physically and mentally prepared for anything that comes my way and I know that I have a large support group that can help me get through this.
I have overcome all situational demands and it has resulted in a better, happier me. I know for sure that no physical issues related to the disease will reoccur and my doctor will confirm that. It was the inability to move that has largely attributed to my lack of success, and the inability to move for years, accompanied by poor grades, caused mental health problems. Since starting my medication I have a daily routine, I stay physically active and I am just ready to take on the world. One large telling factor of the changes I have made is the fact that I work five days a week, eight to thirteen hour shifts.
Lastly I wanted to touch on something that causes much concern on my behalf. The medication I take is very expensive and quite frankly not affordable. I am under my father¿¿s insurance until I am no longer a student but they only provide that coverage with proof of being a university student. If asked to withdraw I will no longer have the coverage and will most likely not be able to afford the medication for more than a couple months. I cannot apply for The Trillium Benefit, the government coverage, until after completing my post-secondary education. This for me, is another reason why I see returning to be vital. After about five months of being on the medication and the substantial changes it has made to my life I cannot see it being healthy going back to how I was before.
Thanks, Colin McDougall.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: I am supposed to get a letter form my doctor Friday, Aug 10. I will submit this immediately. It is a letter explaining the impact of my disease and the effect on school work/attendance