Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 5269
Submitted: January 8, 2019 at 11:31:01 AM
First Name: Michaela
Last Name: Valente
Student Number: 10179600
Email: 14mgv@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSH
Plan: KIN
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: MICR 271
Term: Fall
Year: 2018
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies,
My name is Michaela Valente. I am in my fourth year of the kinesiology program at Queen¿¿s. I am appealing to drop one of my online elective courses, MICR271 this term (FALL 2018) due to extenuating circumstances from a concussion I sustained earlier this semester.
This is my fifth concussion that I have sustained, and the second one I have sustained during my time here at Queen¿¿s. I acquired the concussion at the beginning of November and have been struggling with my recovery ever since. The healing process has been extremely frustrating and little progress has been made over the last several weeks. This is an ongoing disability that I have been struggling with over the last few years as I am continually experiencing long term symptoms, especially now that I have had sustained my fifth severe concussion. During the last few weeks of the semester, I attempted to continue with a full course load of 5 classes as well as being a senior trainer in the Athletic Therapy mini-stream here at Queen¿¿s. As well as this, I currently work two part-time jobs to help me with my bill payments and everyday needs. As you can see, I have a very full schedule that would be difficult to maintain regardless of my ongoing setbacks. It has been difficult for me to maintain a consistent quality of work for my academics. I have tried working with academic counselors as well as my professors to find appropriate scheduling to fit and figure things out for my classes, however I am still finding it too strenuous to keep up with everything. Being unable to participate and complete my full course load causes me more stress and less time to completely heal from my current condition. Throughout the course of the semester post-concussion, I have had to make many accommodations for all my classes such as extra time and pushing back test dates, but it is simply not enough. I have been actively seeing the concussion doctor, Dr. O¿¿Conner, at the clinic here on campus who has helped me with monitoring my healing progress and advising me on things to avoid in order to properly heal. The biggest issues for academics, is this concussion has played a huge role in some memory issues, and I have found it extremely difficult to read, and learn things at the same pace I was at before. My academic performance as well as my state of health and well-being are noticeably suffering.
As MICR271 is an online course, and I have had severe difficulty using screens and being on my computer for long periods of time, I have been unable to participate and did not write the online final exam on December 9th. In order for me to complete this year on a better note and allow myself the ability to heal, it would be beneficial for me to drop this course and complete it at another time. I have been able to manage accommodations and other arrangements in my other four courses and was able to complete them to the best of my ability, especially due to the fact that they were not online. However, I am planning to return to Queen¿¿s for a fifth year, in order to take some extra credits, improve my marks, and continue to figure out my next step. In saying that, it would benefit my current condition to drop MICR271 (elective course) and take another elective in the fall of 2019. I want to ensure that I heal so that my marks may not suffer next semester or other semesters in the future. I have 18.0 credits left to secure in order to graduate, and by completing four courses next semester, and at least two in my fifth year, then I will graduate on a better and healthier note with stronger marks. I believe this is a better option for me so that I do take on more than I can handle academically. After speaking with my doctors and numerous academic advisors at QSAS, I am confident this is the best plan for me that will allow me to reach my academic goals in my final years here at Queen¿¿s.
I hope you can understand the situation I am in and see that this is the most beneficial option for my health and my academic success at this point in the year without as many setbacks.
Thank you in advance,
Michaela Valente
14mgv@queensu.ca
10179600
My name is Michaela Valente. I am in my fourth year of the kinesiology program at Queen¿¿s. I am appealing to drop one of my online elective courses, MICR271 this term (FALL 2018) due to extenuating circumstances from a concussion I sustained earlier this semester.
This is my fifth concussion that I have sustained, and the second one I have sustained during my time here at Queen¿¿s. I acquired the concussion at the beginning of November and have been struggling with my recovery ever since. The healing process has been extremely frustrating and little progress has been made over the last several weeks. This is an ongoing disability that I have been struggling with over the last few years as I am continually experiencing long term symptoms, especially now that I have had sustained my fifth severe concussion. During the last few weeks of the semester, I attempted to continue with a full course load of 5 classes as well as being a senior trainer in the Athletic Therapy mini-stream here at Queen¿¿s. As well as this, I currently work two part-time jobs to help me with my bill payments and everyday needs. As you can see, I have a very full schedule that would be difficult to maintain regardless of my ongoing setbacks. It has been difficult for me to maintain a consistent quality of work for my academics. I have tried working with academic counselors as well as my professors to find appropriate scheduling to fit and figure things out for my classes, however I am still finding it too strenuous to keep up with everything. Being unable to participate and complete my full course load causes me more stress and less time to completely heal from my current condition. Throughout the course of the semester post-concussion, I have had to make many accommodations for all my classes such as extra time and pushing back test dates, but it is simply not enough. I have been actively seeing the concussion doctor, Dr. O¿¿Conner, at the clinic here on campus who has helped me with monitoring my healing progress and advising me on things to avoid in order to properly heal. The biggest issues for academics, is this concussion has played a huge role in some memory issues, and I have found it extremely difficult to read, and learn things at the same pace I was at before. My academic performance as well as my state of health and well-being are noticeably suffering.
As MICR271 is an online course, and I have had severe difficulty using screens and being on my computer for long periods of time, I have been unable to participate and did not write the online final exam on December 9th. In order for me to complete this year on a better note and allow myself the ability to heal, it would be beneficial for me to drop this course and complete it at another time. I have been able to manage accommodations and other arrangements in my other four courses and was able to complete them to the best of my ability, especially due to the fact that they were not online. However, I am planning to return to Queen¿¿s for a fifth year, in order to take some extra credits, improve my marks, and continue to figure out my next step. In saying that, it would benefit my current condition to drop MICR271 (elective course) and take another elective in the fall of 2019. I want to ensure that I heal so that my marks may not suffer next semester or other semesters in the future. I have 18.0 credits left to secure in order to graduate, and by completing four courses next semester, and at least two in my fifth year, then I will graduate on a better and healthier note with stronger marks. I believe this is a better option for me so that I do take on more than I can handle academically. After speaking with my doctors and numerous academic advisors at QSAS, I am confident this is the best plan for me that will allow me to reach my academic goals in my final years here at Queen¿¿s.
I hope you can understand the situation I am in and see that this is the most beneficial option for my health and my academic success at this point in the year without as many setbacks.
Thank you in advance,
Michaela Valente
14mgv@queensu.ca
10179600
Documentation
Professional Letter: Drs note.pdf
Document: Drs note 2.pdf