Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 5058
Submitted: October 31, 2018 at 8:50:10 PM
First Name: Alexander
Last Name: Coburn
Student Number: 10187640
Email: alex.coburn@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: HIST
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Code: HIST 329
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Petition Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor's Name: Prof. den Otter
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Alex Coburn, I am a fourth year History student at Queen¿¿s University and I am submitting an appeal requesting to wave the one term deadline for a further appeal.
If this application to waive the appeal deadline is successful, I will be submitting an appeal to submit work to be assessed for a grade change in Dr. Sandra den Otter¿¿s HIST 329 - Modern Britain course that I was enrolled in during the 2017 Fall to 2018 Winter term. As of October 10, 2018, Dr. den Otter has received the work to be assessed and to my understanding is aware that I am pursuing this appeal process and is willing to support me in this endeavour.
Ultimately, the reason that I am beginning this appeal process late is because between the months of May and September I was a Wildfire Fighter for the Government of British Columbia. I believe being a wildfire fighter should constitute as an extenuating circumstance because it is an occupation that does not permit much opportunity or free time to pursue academics.
The 2018 BC wildfire season was the worst season in recorded history. Close to 13,000 square km of land was burnt, and furthermore, from August 15th to September 7th the province was under a declared state of emergency. The reason I am including these figures is because I want to stress that as a wildfire fighter this past summer I did not have the chance to complete my assignment for revaluation nor did I have the time to begin this appeal process. I would like to sincerely apologise for inconveniencing the Arts and Science faculty with my delayed appeal, however, I hope it can be understood that because of my summer employment I was unable to complete the process earlier.
As a wildfire fighter for the British Columbian Wildfire Service (BCWS), the standard deployment length was fourteen days followed by three days of rest. When deployed, we would be working sixteen-hour days and would camp within close proximity to the relevant wildfire. Understandably access to Wi-Fi was limited and anytime not spent on the fire line was reserved for rest.
In this application I have included relevant documents that support my claim and hopefully help aid my appeal. The first is an email I received from Brandi Burns, a member of the Safety and Staff Development team for the BCWS, inviting me to a 2018 New Recruit Boot Camp that ran from May 2nd to May 10th. The second document is a certificate confirming I attended and passed the necessary examinations of boot camp. The third document is my first pay stub for the pay period of May 12th to May 26th. The fourth and last document is my final pay stub for the August 18th to September 1st pay period. I believe this documentation affirms that I was employed by the BCWS for the 2018 summer. I have additional documents that show I was enrolled in First Aid courses prior to boot camp in Vancouver, and a more thorough contract that shows my employment and role within the BCWS that I am very willing to provide if thought necessary.
I would like to reiterate that I am really sorry for starting this process quite late and I hope the Arts and Science faculty are receptive to my claim. In all, being a wildfire fighter for British Columbia was an incredible experience that was absolutely life changing. I believe we were a real benefit to the province, and especially to communities in the interior and northern parts of BC ¿¿ those most under threat from wildfire. I will continue to work for BCWS in the 2019 season and hopefully many more seasons after.
If this application is successful, I will provide more documentation and explanation regarding the specific nature of my resubmitted assignment and request to have my grade revaluated. However, I have kept the purpose of this application to outlining why I am beginning this process late as I believe was the instruction outlined on the Academic Appeals webpage.
I would like to thank you for your time, and I hope I can be as helpful and supportive as possible throughout this process.
With regards,
-Alex Coburn
My name is Alex Coburn, I am a fourth year History student at Queen¿¿s University and I am submitting an appeal requesting to wave the one term deadline for a further appeal.
If this application to waive the appeal deadline is successful, I will be submitting an appeal to submit work to be assessed for a grade change in Dr. Sandra den Otter¿¿s HIST 329 - Modern Britain course that I was enrolled in during the 2017 Fall to 2018 Winter term. As of October 10, 2018, Dr. den Otter has received the work to be assessed and to my understanding is aware that I am pursuing this appeal process and is willing to support me in this endeavour.
Ultimately, the reason that I am beginning this appeal process late is because between the months of May and September I was a Wildfire Fighter for the Government of British Columbia. I believe being a wildfire fighter should constitute as an extenuating circumstance because it is an occupation that does not permit much opportunity or free time to pursue academics.
The 2018 BC wildfire season was the worst season in recorded history. Close to 13,000 square km of land was burnt, and furthermore, from August 15th to September 7th the province was under a declared state of emergency. The reason I am including these figures is because I want to stress that as a wildfire fighter this past summer I did not have the chance to complete my assignment for revaluation nor did I have the time to begin this appeal process. I would like to sincerely apologise for inconveniencing the Arts and Science faculty with my delayed appeal, however, I hope it can be understood that because of my summer employment I was unable to complete the process earlier.
As a wildfire fighter for the British Columbian Wildfire Service (BCWS), the standard deployment length was fourteen days followed by three days of rest. When deployed, we would be working sixteen-hour days and would camp within close proximity to the relevant wildfire. Understandably access to Wi-Fi was limited and anytime not spent on the fire line was reserved for rest.
In this application I have included relevant documents that support my claim and hopefully help aid my appeal. The first is an email I received from Brandi Burns, a member of the Safety and Staff Development team for the BCWS, inviting me to a 2018 New Recruit Boot Camp that ran from May 2nd to May 10th. The second document is a certificate confirming I attended and passed the necessary examinations of boot camp. The third document is my first pay stub for the pay period of May 12th to May 26th. The fourth and last document is my final pay stub for the August 18th to September 1st pay period. I believe this documentation affirms that I was employed by the BCWS for the 2018 summer. I have additional documents that show I was enrolled in First Aid courses prior to boot camp in Vancouver, and a more thorough contract that shows my employment and role within the BCWS that I am very willing to provide if thought necessary.
I would like to reiterate that I am really sorry for starting this process quite late and I hope the Arts and Science faculty are receptive to my claim. In all, being a wildfire fighter for British Columbia was an incredible experience that was absolutely life changing. I believe we were a real benefit to the province, and especially to communities in the interior and northern parts of BC ¿¿ those most under threat from wildfire. I will continue to work for BCWS in the 2019 season and hopefully many more seasons after.
If this application is successful, I will provide more documentation and explanation regarding the specific nature of my resubmitted assignment and request to have my grade revaluated. However, I have kept the purpose of this application to outlining why I am beginning this process late as I believe was the instruction outlined on the Academic Appeals webpage.
I would like to thank you for your time, and I hope I can be as helpful and supportive as possible throughout this process.
With regards,
-Alex Coburn
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: The first is an email I received from Brandi Burns, a member of the Safety and Staff Development team for the BCWS, inviting me to a 2018 New Recruit Boot Camp that ran from May 2nd to May 10th.
Document: May 12-26 Pay Stub.jpeg
Documentation Detail: The third document is my first pay stub for the pay period of May 12th to May 26th.
Document: Aug 18-Sept 1 Pay Stub.jpeg
Documentation Detail: The fourth and last document is my final pay stub for the August 18th to September 1st pay period.