Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 4795
Submitted: June 29, 2018 at 11:24:27 AM
First Name: Maya
Last Name: Sylvester
Student Number: 10144832
Email: 13mals@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: PHIL, DEVS
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Bénard,
I am writing to you to appeal the requirement that students can only take up to 6.0 credits at a different institution in their third and fourth years. In the context of my ongoing health issues, I have been studying part-time through Queen's on-line from my home in London and at Western University. I am now only 15.0 credits away from completing my honours degree in Philosophy and Global Development and I am hoping to complete these credits here in London over the course of the 2018/2019 academic year. I have maintained good academic standing in spite of my illness and remain, more than ever, committed to completing the requirements of my degree from Queen's.
As you may recall, at the end of the Fall 2016 term I was forced to return to my home in London, Ontario due to serious complications of a chronic illness following a Queen's experiential trip to Cuba. Unfortunately, there have been further complications that have caused my recovery to be extremely unpredictable and slow. I am currently unable to leave London because I must remain close to my family doctor and several specialists so that I can continue my treatment plan. Returning to Kingston is, unfortunately, not an option for me.
Since my departure from Kingston, I have been able to successfully complete my courses from the Fall 2016 semester. I have now undertaken with permission, a reduced course load as much as possible online at Queen's, and this past Spring semester I successfully completed two courses at Western University. Unfortunately, I have already taken all of the Queen's online course offerings relevant to my degree. My hope is that Queen's will grant me permission to complete the outstanding 15.0 Philosophy credits here in London at Western so that I can graduate, as I have always hoped, from Queen's.
I have attached medical documentation pertaining to my request, and I would be happy to speak further with you about any details. The last year and a half has been a very challenging time for me, personally and academically. You and the Queen's administration and staff have been entirely supportive on this journey, and I am very grateful for this support. It is my hope that in the coming year I will be able to complete my honours specialization degree from Queen's and perhaps even travel to Kingston to participate in Convocation as early as the spring.
Sincerely,
Maya A. Sylvester
I am writing to you to appeal the requirement that students can only take up to 6.0 credits at a different institution in their third and fourth years. In the context of my ongoing health issues, I have been studying part-time through Queen's on-line from my home in London and at Western University. I am now only 15.0 credits away from completing my honours degree in Philosophy and Global Development and I am hoping to complete these credits here in London over the course of the 2018/2019 academic year. I have maintained good academic standing in spite of my illness and remain, more than ever, committed to completing the requirements of my degree from Queen's.
As you may recall, at the end of the Fall 2016 term I was forced to return to my home in London, Ontario due to serious complications of a chronic illness following a Queen's experiential trip to Cuba. Unfortunately, there have been further complications that have caused my recovery to be extremely unpredictable and slow. I am currently unable to leave London because I must remain close to my family doctor and several specialists so that I can continue my treatment plan. Returning to Kingston is, unfortunately, not an option for me.
Since my departure from Kingston, I have been able to successfully complete my courses from the Fall 2016 semester. I have now undertaken with permission, a reduced course load as much as possible online at Queen's, and this past Spring semester I successfully completed two courses at Western University. Unfortunately, I have already taken all of the Queen's online course offerings relevant to my degree. My hope is that Queen's will grant me permission to complete the outstanding 15.0 Philosophy credits here in London at Western so that I can graduate, as I have always hoped, from Queen's.
I have attached medical documentation pertaining to my request, and I would be happy to speak further with you about any details. The last year and a half has been a very challenging time for me, personally and academically. You and the Queen's administration and staff have been entirely supportive on this journey, and I am very grateful for this support. It is my hope that in the coming year I will be able to complete my honours specialization degree from Queen's and perhaps even travel to Kingston to participate in Convocation as early as the spring.
Sincerely,
Maya A. Sylvester
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: My academic plan for the 2018-2019 year will focus on completing the final 15.0 credits (five half courses) for my honours major in Philosophy. The majority of my program and credits were completed while I was a student in residence for almost three years at Queen's, from September 2014 through December 2016. I fell seriously ill at the end of the winter term of 2016-17, due to complications from my Queens experiential learning course in Cuba and was required to return home to London, Ontario in December. Following a stabilization period, I completed credits from my home in London with the approval of the Dean's Office: first my medically-deferred Queen's 2016 exams, and then additional credits through Queen's distance studies, and at Western University as a visiting student on a Queen's Letter of Permission. As I am not medically able to take up residence in Kingston due to my ongoing health issues, and since Queen's does not offer the senior philosophy courses I require on-line, it is my hope to receive permission to complete the final credits of my Queen's degree in London. With this permission, I could finish earning my Queen's degree and graduate as early as the spring of 2019.
This past Winter 2018 semester, in addition to 3.0 Queen's online credits, I completed 6.0 Philosophy credits as a visiting student at Western University. My combined overall term average was 90, which is consistent with my academic achievement at Queen's prior to falling ill. The final Queen's acknowledgment of the six earned Western credits is still pending, but my 2018-2019 academic plan has been created under the presumption that these credits will transfer appropriately as they were undertaken with permission from both institutions.
Each of the remaining courses that I plan to take will be directly related to the remaining requirements for my Queen's honours major in Philosophy. I will need to complete 15 credits (3.0 PHIL400, 9.0 PHIL300, and 3.0 PHIL200). I have sought out well-regarded senior faculty members at Western who offer the courses I require, and have found that taking a reduced course load has allowed me to continue to be a successful student while managing my health requirements. I plan to continue to take a reduced course load, by taking 9.0 and 6.0 in each semester. Some of the potential courses that I intend to take at Western University in the Fall 2018 term are: Phil 2700F/G : Introduction to Ethics and Value Theory, Phil 3070F/G : Augustine, and Phil 4094F/G : Contemporary Continental Social and Political Thought. This strategy of a reduced course load, proximity to my health supports and registration with disability studies will ensure my academic progress and allow me to achieve my long-held hope to graduate from Queen's University.
This past Winter 2018 semester, in addition to 3.0 Queen's online credits, I completed 6.0 Philosophy credits as a visiting student at Western University. My combined overall term average was 90, which is consistent with my academic achievement at Queen's prior to falling ill. The final Queen's acknowledgment of the six earned Western credits is still pending, but my 2018-2019 academic plan has been created under the presumption that these credits will transfer appropriately as they were undertaken with permission from both institutions.
Each of the remaining courses that I plan to take will be directly related to the remaining requirements for my Queen's honours major in Philosophy. I will need to complete 15 credits (3.0 PHIL400, 9.0 PHIL300, and 3.0 PHIL200). I have sought out well-regarded senior faculty members at Western who offer the courses I require, and have found that taking a reduced course load has allowed me to continue to be a successful student while managing my health requirements. I plan to continue to take a reduced course load, by taking 9.0 and 6.0 in each semester. Some of the potential courses that I intend to take at Western University in the Fall 2018 term are: Phil 2700F/G : Introduction to Ethics and Value Theory, Phil 3070F/G : Augustine, and Phil 4094F/G : Contemporary Continental Social and Political Thought. This strategy of a reduced course load, proximity to my health supports and registration with disability studies will ensure my academic progress and allow me to achieve my long-held hope to graduate from Queen's University.
Documentation
Professional Letter: 2018-2019 Medical Documentation.pdf
Professional Letter Detail: Medical Documentation
Document: Western Winter 2018 Grades.pdf
Documentation Detail: Western University Winter 2018 Grades