Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 712
Submitted: January 27, 2015 at 1:31:08 PM
First Name: Baldev
Last Name: Marsh
Student Number: 10055311
Email: 11bkm8@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: ECON
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline, Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Code: ECON 212
Term: Fall
Year: 2014
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: ECON 250
Term: Fall
Year: 2014
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dong Shen
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,
The reason for this letter is to appeal to have ECON 212 dropped and ECON 250 changed to a credit standing. I injured my shoulder over the summer and unfortunately it has not gotten better. I received accommodations and based off the recommendations of my advisor I got a scribe. Whilst good intentioned, in practise, scribing did not hold up. Economics is very writing intensive because of all the formulas and graphs and it is precisely this type of material that is impossible to verbalise. Communicating math and graphs is hard enough when you are able to write out and explain the process, solving it mentally and verbalizing it over the span of six hours is brutal and proved unrealistic. Nevertheless, hindsight is 20/20 and that is why moving forward I have a plan for success that does not rely on scribes. I am only asking not to be penalised for what was essentially a failed experiment. Going forward in Economics it is imperative that I write the exam as it is the best way to test what I know. Since I need my shoulder, I have decided to take a reduced course load to focus on the healing process and write my own exams. This will require me to take an extra year but it is the best option I have, and Jennine, my undergraduate economics advisor, has advised me which courses will be easiest on my shoulder, along with a note taker this should give me the best chance for success.
Last time my shoulder was injured it also severely affected my exams, but I have been working with the university and its resources, trying to maximise my success. This is not a repeating pattern because I did not do it alone and have been trying to find solutions to my unique situation, unfortunately success is not always linear and this year it seems has been a series of trials both personally and academically. Having a shoulder injury has not only been trying academically, but emotionally and physically as well. Altering my learning strategy to learn without writing notes was difficult, and I was not sleeping due to extreme pain. Performing mundane tasks on no sleep is hard enough, but exams became 18 hours and doing them under such conditions was extremely stressful. Add it to the fact that this was right after a blood clot, this year has been stressful to say the least. I also have mild Cerebral Palsy which affects my left side so an injury on my right side makes life exponentially difficult creating the perfect storm.
If this was a reflection of my abilities as a student I would not be writing this letter. This was a series of unfortunate circumstances that were out of my control and have since proved difficult to deal with. Personally, I have been through one of the most trying times of my life as every aspect of my daily life has been affected with the loss of my dominant arm. That is why it is imperative that I fix it so that I can get back to normal and perform on the level that I know that I am capable of. Thank you for your time and help in this trying and difficult situation. If you need anything further do not hesitate to contact me and I am open to any advice and solutions you may have.
Sincerely,
Baldev Marsh
The reason for this letter is to appeal to have ECON 212 dropped and ECON 250 changed to a credit standing. I injured my shoulder over the summer and unfortunately it has not gotten better. I received accommodations and based off the recommendations of my advisor I got a scribe. Whilst good intentioned, in practise, scribing did not hold up. Economics is very writing intensive because of all the formulas and graphs and it is precisely this type of material that is impossible to verbalise. Communicating math and graphs is hard enough when you are able to write out and explain the process, solving it mentally and verbalizing it over the span of six hours is brutal and proved unrealistic. Nevertheless, hindsight is 20/20 and that is why moving forward I have a plan for success that does not rely on scribes. I am only asking not to be penalised for what was essentially a failed experiment. Going forward in Economics it is imperative that I write the exam as it is the best way to test what I know. Since I need my shoulder, I have decided to take a reduced course load to focus on the healing process and write my own exams. This will require me to take an extra year but it is the best option I have, and Jennine, my undergraduate economics advisor, has advised me which courses will be easiest on my shoulder, along with a note taker this should give me the best chance for success.
Last time my shoulder was injured it also severely affected my exams, but I have been working with the university and its resources, trying to maximise my success. This is not a repeating pattern because I did not do it alone and have been trying to find solutions to my unique situation, unfortunately success is not always linear and this year it seems has been a series of trials both personally and academically. Having a shoulder injury has not only been trying academically, but emotionally and physically as well. Altering my learning strategy to learn without writing notes was difficult, and I was not sleeping due to extreme pain. Performing mundane tasks on no sleep is hard enough, but exams became 18 hours and doing them under such conditions was extremely stressful. Add it to the fact that this was right after a blood clot, this year has been stressful to say the least. I also have mild Cerebral Palsy which affects my left side so an injury on my right side makes life exponentially difficult creating the perfect storm.
If this was a reflection of my abilities as a student I would not be writing this letter. This was a series of unfortunate circumstances that were out of my control and have since proved difficult to deal with. Personally, I have been through one of the most trying times of my life as every aspect of my daily life has been affected with the loss of my dominant arm. That is why it is imperative that I fix it so that I can get back to normal and perform on the level that I know that I am capable of. Thank you for your time and help in this trying and difficult situation. If you need anything further do not hesitate to contact me and I am open to any advice and solutions you may have.
Sincerely,
Baldev Marsh
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Documentation to come