Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 3878
Submitted: October 11, 2017 at 7:06:58 PM
First Name: Aimee
Last Name: Carter
Student Number: 20030319
Email: 16ac24@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: DEVS
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing to waive the One-Term deadline to drop a class.
Last term, (winter 2017) I failed to pass my MUSC 102 course. The reason for the failure was due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control that happened April 20th 2017, the night before my exam. In short, the situation involved me supporting an extremely suicidal friend all night and getting no sleep before the exam which was the morning of April 21st. The event was very serious and Campus security was involved as we were living in Residence. It was my last exam of the year, so no other exam was effected. I do believe however that it effected my state of mind during the music exam causing me to fail the exam as well as the class. The friend involved in the situation as gotten the help needed since the event.
I did not appeal to drop the class within the deadline for a variety of reasons. Firstly, after completing the exam, I did not look for ways to drop the class as it was a very sensitive topic for me. I left Kingston April 22, the day after my exam. Upon arriving home, I did not speak about the incident with my parents and only to a couple close friends. The event made leaving Kingston and my friend, very difficult. Everything was such horrible timing. When I got my marks back and saw that I had failed, I was not surprised considering the circumstances however, it was summer and being far from Kingston made it easy to push the thought aside. I figured that I could retake the class in fourth year and did not know about appealing so once again I avoided any thoughts of the situation. Now, reflecting back, I do not feel comfortable with the thought of taking the exam again and bringing back those difficult memories.
I was not aware of the possibility of dropping a class due to this type of situation because I had never been in a situation like this before. It was not until I met with Niki Kaloudras (Undergraduate Assistant of Global Development Studies) on September 13th, 2017 to discuss unrelated topics about majors and work-study placements. She noticed the failed class and when she heard my reasoning, she suggested that it would be in my best interest to appeal to drop the class, as the mark would likely effect my future. This was the first time I learned about dropping a class after having taking the exam, and I believed that I had missed the deadline. It just so happened that the last day to submit an appeal had been extended to September 15th, which I missed as I was not able to meet with a second advisor (Spring Forsberg) until a later date. Niki Kaloudras has made a statement supporting these details.
Finally, after taking Niki Kaloudras¿¿s advice, I made an appointment with Spring Forsberg to learn how to move forward with an appeal. We met on September 27th, 2017 and discussed the appeals that I should submit. All of these situations are reasons as to how I missed the One-Term deadline. After this appeal I plan to appeal to drop the MUSC 102 class as well as explain in greater details, the situation that lead to the fail.
This first appeal is of high importance for me because dropping the music class will significantly change my GPA. My current average does not accurately depict my work habits as seen in the high marks of my other classes. I also wish to apply for a Queens International Exchange, which will look towards my average and this music class can affect my opportunities for this program. It also can affect applications for graduate school in the future. The situations that caused me to fail the class as well as miss the deadline to appeal were both out of my control and have an impact on my future. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
- Aimée Carter 20030319
I am appealing to waive the One-Term deadline to drop a class.
Last term, (winter 2017) I failed to pass my MUSC 102 course. The reason for the failure was due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control that happened April 20th 2017, the night before my exam. In short, the situation involved me supporting an extremely suicidal friend all night and getting no sleep before the exam which was the morning of April 21st. The event was very serious and Campus security was involved as we were living in Residence. It was my last exam of the year, so no other exam was effected. I do believe however that it effected my state of mind during the music exam causing me to fail the exam as well as the class. The friend involved in the situation as gotten the help needed since the event.
I did not appeal to drop the class within the deadline for a variety of reasons. Firstly, after completing the exam, I did not look for ways to drop the class as it was a very sensitive topic for me. I left Kingston April 22, the day after my exam. Upon arriving home, I did not speak about the incident with my parents and only to a couple close friends. The event made leaving Kingston and my friend, very difficult. Everything was such horrible timing. When I got my marks back and saw that I had failed, I was not surprised considering the circumstances however, it was summer and being far from Kingston made it easy to push the thought aside. I figured that I could retake the class in fourth year and did not know about appealing so once again I avoided any thoughts of the situation. Now, reflecting back, I do not feel comfortable with the thought of taking the exam again and bringing back those difficult memories.
I was not aware of the possibility of dropping a class due to this type of situation because I had never been in a situation like this before. It was not until I met with Niki Kaloudras (Undergraduate Assistant of Global Development Studies) on September 13th, 2017 to discuss unrelated topics about majors and work-study placements. She noticed the failed class and when she heard my reasoning, she suggested that it would be in my best interest to appeal to drop the class, as the mark would likely effect my future. This was the first time I learned about dropping a class after having taking the exam, and I believed that I had missed the deadline. It just so happened that the last day to submit an appeal had been extended to September 15th, which I missed as I was not able to meet with a second advisor (Spring Forsberg) until a later date. Niki Kaloudras has made a statement supporting these details.
Finally, after taking Niki Kaloudras¿¿s advice, I made an appointment with Spring Forsberg to learn how to move forward with an appeal. We met on September 27th, 2017 and discussed the appeals that I should submit. All of these situations are reasons as to how I missed the One-Term deadline. After this appeal I plan to appeal to drop the MUSC 102 class as well as explain in greater details, the situation that lead to the fail.
This first appeal is of high importance for me because dropping the music class will significantly change my GPA. My current average does not accurately depict my work habits as seen in the high marks of my other classes. I also wish to apply for a Queens International Exchange, which will look towards my average and this music class can affect my opportunities for this program. It also can affect applications for graduate school in the future. The situations that caused me to fail the class as well as miss the deadline to appeal were both out of my control and have an impact on my future. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
- Aimée Carter 20030319
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: A Statement from Niki Kaloudas sent by email to Spring Forsberg
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 3878
Relevant Petition: 3878
First Name: Aimée
Last Name: Carter
Student Number: 20030319
Email: 16ac24@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: DEVS
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: MUSC 102
Term: Winter
Year: 2017
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing to drop the class MUSC 102 (Winter, 2017). I took the MUSC 102 winter exam the morning of Friday April 21, 2017 in which I failed, thus failing the course. The reason for my failure was due to an extenuating circumstances beyond my control that happened the night before my exam.
The evening of April 20th, I was in my residence dorm room studying for the music exam, when I was informed that a very close friend of mine was intoxicated and crying. Naturally I took a break from studying to see if they were alright. When I got to his room the situation was far worse than what I could have imagined. Having known him personally, I knew that he had a history with depression and was diagnosed with PTSD. When I got to him he was extremely intoxicated and continuing to drink. He was on the phone with his friend from home, crying and screaming, as that friend was trying to comfort him through the phone. I immediately removed the alcohol from his hands and put all the alcohol I could find under his bed. He soon forgot about the alcohol but began throwing things around his room in anger and self-harming with pens, forks, and anything he could find. I tried to stop him by taking everything from him and putting it all in a bag. The night proceeded like this for many hours. People would knock on his door, asking about the noise and if he was alright, to which he would not answer. He became very suicidal and talking about horrible things. After other friends noticed his state, they tried to help as well. Campus security and the Dons were both called and they tried to convince him to go to the hospital but he refused. (The Don present has since graduated so could not give a statement, however I have a copy of the incident report). They confiscated the alcohol and left, but all of us, his friends, remained by his side for the rest of the night to make sure he was okay. He got very sick from the alcohol and woke up many times throughout the night with panic attacks. I have helped him through panic attacks before which prepared me for that, but the rest were all things that I had never experienced before. Needless to say, I got no sleep that night as my friends and I sat on his floor all night. (A friend that was present has made a statement to support this incident). In the morning I went to my last exam of first year, music 102. After rushing through the exam, I remember looking around the class and wondering if anyone in the class had tried to commit suicide the night before, for whatever reason. When I left the exam I ran back to my residence, and instead of being happy about completing my first year of university, I was worried about my friend¿¿s life. My mind was clearly not in the right state for writing an exam, I do not wish to retake the exam as it is now associated with horrible memories.
My friend has gone to counselling and gotten a lot of help since the event. This event continued to effect me for weeks after even when I was home for the summer, however I was never able to tell my parents about the event. It remains a very scary and sensitive topic for me however I have come to terms with it and do not believe it will effect my future endeavours.
In the near future I would like to apply for an International Exchange through Queens. I have the minimum average to apply (2.66) however, if this is class is dropped, my average would be raised significantly, especially considering the high marks I have in all my other classes. This class will also effect my future plans as it may be issue if I decide to apply to graduate school. This appeal is very important to me and I thank you for your consideration.
- Aimée Carter 20030319
I am appealing to drop the class MUSC 102 (Winter, 2017). I took the MUSC 102 winter exam the morning of Friday April 21, 2017 in which I failed, thus failing the course. The reason for my failure was due to an extenuating circumstances beyond my control that happened the night before my exam.
The evening of April 20th, I was in my residence dorm room studying for the music exam, when I was informed that a very close friend of mine was intoxicated and crying. Naturally I took a break from studying to see if they were alright. When I got to his room the situation was far worse than what I could have imagined. Having known him personally, I knew that he had a history with depression and was diagnosed with PTSD. When I got to him he was extremely intoxicated and continuing to drink. He was on the phone with his friend from home, crying and screaming, as that friend was trying to comfort him through the phone. I immediately removed the alcohol from his hands and put all the alcohol I could find under his bed. He soon forgot about the alcohol but began throwing things around his room in anger and self-harming with pens, forks, and anything he could find. I tried to stop him by taking everything from him and putting it all in a bag. The night proceeded like this for many hours. People would knock on his door, asking about the noise and if he was alright, to which he would not answer. He became very suicidal and talking about horrible things. After other friends noticed his state, they tried to help as well. Campus security and the Dons were both called and they tried to convince him to go to the hospital but he refused. (The Don present has since graduated so could not give a statement, however I have a copy of the incident report). They confiscated the alcohol and left, but all of us, his friends, remained by his side for the rest of the night to make sure he was okay. He got very sick from the alcohol and woke up many times throughout the night with panic attacks. I have helped him through panic attacks before which prepared me for that, but the rest were all things that I had never experienced before. Needless to say, I got no sleep that night as my friends and I sat on his floor all night. (A friend that was present has made a statement to support this incident). In the morning I went to my last exam of first year, music 102. After rushing through the exam, I remember looking around the class and wondering if anyone in the class had tried to commit suicide the night before, for whatever reason. When I left the exam I ran back to my residence, and instead of being happy about completing my first year of university, I was worried about my friend¿¿s life. My mind was clearly not in the right state for writing an exam, I do not wish to retake the exam as it is now associated with horrible memories.
My friend has gone to counselling and gotten a lot of help since the event. This event continued to effect me for weeks after even when I was home for the summer, however I was never able to tell my parents about the event. It remains a very scary and sensitive topic for me however I have come to terms with it and do not believe it will effect my future endeavours.
In the near future I would like to apply for an International Exchange through Queens. I have the minimum average to apply (2.66) however, if this is class is dropped, my average would be raised significantly, especially considering the high marks I have in all my other classes. This class will also effect my future plans as it may be issue if I decide to apply to graduate school. This appeal is very important to me and I thank you for your consideration.
- Aimée Carter 20030319
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: A Residence Incident Report
Documentation Detail: A letter from a friend present during the incident.