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Petition Letter: Hello,

I am writing to ask for an Aegrotat grade in MUSC491 of Winter 2020.


I have existing accommodations with the faculty in the 2019/2020 school year as well parts of the previous year. The nature of my accommodations is that I am required to travel frequently back and forth to the Toronto area to assist in the care of my parents, both of whom became seriously ill at the same time, so my physical attendance marks and certain assignment deadlines have been customized in order to reduce academic stress in the likelihood of a family health emergency. I have documentation from our doctor supporting my need to assist in their care.

Unfortunately, the health status of my parents combined with the mandatory quarantine has made every part of my term end more difficult - to the point of being beyond my capability to complete all remaining schoolwork. My trouble started approximately six weeks ago with the COVID-19 warnings I received from my parents' doctor, who is aware of my schedule and how I come into contact with many people. As a result of the measures taken by Public Health Ontario in later weeks, I now have severely limited ability to continue traveling back and forth thanks to a reduction in public transit as well as the need to reduce exposure to my immunocompromised parents. I have managed to complete some of my remaining coursework while caring for my parents, but to finish my remaining assignment in MUSC491 (research paper) specifically requires resources I have lost consistent access to. While taking care of my parents I do not have access to reliable technology, having lost my access to the work spaces and places of research I use in Toronto due to their closure.

I understand that we are all in a very unusual situation right now regarding this pandemic. I do not wish to claim the pandemic itself as the extenuating circumstances deserving of Aegrotat, but the amplification of existing extenuating circumstances to a degree beyond feasible academic performance. If this was a case of mismanaged time I would continue forward and accept the mark probably requesting a Pass on my transcript in May, however the cause is a breakdown of logistics from beyond my control. I even found a way to work around the lengthy shutdown of my rail lines due to protests early in the year, but our current situation is not something I can finesse.

As a piano student in the Dan School, I am being necessarily forced to accept a Pass mark in several other credits due to the cancellation of live practical instrumental exams. I returned to Queen's in order to prepare for graduate studies by achieving significantly higher marks than my previous years here. I have already lost several A grades to these cancellations (MUSC 421, MUSC 400, MUSC 415) so I am trying very hard to preserve as much of the good work I have done this year as possible to be shown on my transcript.

Thank you,
Nathaniel Zoulalian
06342757