Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I would like to take the time to explain the reasoning behind my requests. For BOL 102, I had made a previous request to have courses in 2015 dropped due to my new onset of mental health issues, which was previously granted. I believed that I had included BIOL 102 in that request, but looking back on my records, it was not. As per my previous appeal, I was experiencing new onset mental health issues, and was followed by a physician starting in 2016. I will include my previous support for appeal from my physician in the portal.

I am also requesting CR in PSYC 251. In the summer of 2020, I was able to take 3 courses and do very well in them, as my mental health was now being followed by a physician. I was able to attend Algonquin College from 2019-2021 to complete a Registered Practical Nursing Diploma, graduating with a 3.13 cGPA. In September of 2020, my partner deployed to Ukraine for what we believed to be 6 months. I was able to manage my academics with Algonquin College well at the time, until March 2021. Chris, my partner, was slated to return to Canada end of March of 2021, however, vaccinations in Eastern Europe were scarce at the time, and he fell ill with COVID-19. I received this information at 0545am on March 21st, 2021. Chris was now unable to return until 14 days post onset of infection. The following day, March 22nd, 2021, I was scheduled to complete a final practical evaluation to progress me into my final consolidation to graduate as an RPN. Due to the news I had received and the stages of shock I went through, I immediately contacted my course coordinator to let her know that I was not in a proper mental state to complete my practical. As of 0811 Monday, I still had not been told whether I was able to defer my practical. I was concerned that if I did not complete it, I would fail the course, which I wanted to avoid. Unfortunately, I was informed at 1815 March 30th, 2021, that I was unsuccessful on that exanimation. This meant I was not able to continue in my program and required to return the following winter to redo the course. Through an academic appeal, I was granted the opportunity to reattempt the exam, but it took multiple steps, through various individuals and did not occur until 1000 on May 21, 2021 ?? almost two months later. As I did not know whether I would be able to progress at Algonquin, I decided to take courses with Queens, as my goal was to finish my BAH the following year. My courses began well, but as of June 6th, I was informed I would be starting my final consolidation to graduate. My consolidation was completed July 31, 2021. During my consolidation, I kept up with my assignments and finished ANAT 100 and PHAR 100 with relatively good grades. PSYCH 251 was a little bit trickier, and by the end of the summer, I was burnt out. I was unsuccessful on my final exam which resulted in a grade that will hinder my ability to pursue programs that require a good GPA. As I want to progress into the RN program at Queen??s, my GPA is very important as it is an extremely competitive program. I can also provide documentation of all the preceding dates and times if required.

In addition to PSYC 251, I am requesting CR in BIOL 103. To say that 2021 was difficult for me is an understatement. Once I completed my RPN program, I was hired on at KGH as a part time Nurse. When hired, they understood that I was still a student, and I was under the impression that my schedule would reflect that. As of late September 2021, I was being scheduled upwards of 50hours per week at KGH. I approached my then manager and asked for an addendum to my contract, as I was hired on as part time. Once again, I was in a situation where I was advocating for myself to ensure success but was met with constant pushback. I followed up with my union multiple times, and they informed me they had received no documentation from my manager about this situation. I was doing my best to keep up with school, but that was a challenge. I requested multiple extensions from my professors regarding my mental health, to which they were fantastic about. I took one week of stress leave from my job in October of 2021 to recover from my workload and frequent frustration from receiving no support. I met with my union representative in November of 2021 and told her that I needed to quit, as I was doing poorly in school and my mental health was in shambles. She encouraged me to wait a little bit longer, as the union was still working on making an addendum to my contract. Final exams took place during the first week of December, and by that point I was done. I gave my resignation letter to my manager and finished out my schedule. I moved back to Petawawa, where my partner lived, and was able to find employment as a homecare nurse in the community. This has led to a stark change in my academics and home life balance. As of Wednesday January 23rd, I was at 95% in my BCHM 270 and a 90% in my HSCI 270 course.

I can obtain good grades, and it is evident through my Algonquin Transcript and my Queen??s Transcript when I am supported. My overall academic Goal is to enter the RN program at Queen??s University, which required a high GPA to be considered. I am sincerely hoping you can take my previous situations into account and grant me the CR. At this time, I am still being followed by my family physician, but as Laura has started her own therapy company, I have not been followed by a therapist since last summer.

Attached is a letter I wrote to my manager at KGH explaining my frustration at the lack of clarity and duration for conflict resolution. I can also attach correspondence from Algonquin regarding my exam, although it would not fit into one single page.

Thank you so much for taking the time to review my request.

Crystal O??Dea, RPN