Petition Letter
The Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen¿¿s University
June 14th, 2015
Dear Dr. Bénard,
I am appealing the Faculty's decision that I must withdraw from Queen's for a minimum of one year.
I feel the extenuating circumstances detailed below, which directly affected my academic performance, were beyond my control.
Although my results improved materially in the final semester, it was too late to attain the 1.60 GPA requirement (I narrowly missed with 1.50).
My family are new immigrants to Canada, so Canadian university was a whole new world to me and I required a longer time to adapt to life at Queen¿¿s. In contrast to the class sizes at Queen¿¿s, I previously attended several small private schools where class sizes were limited to 25. Reaching out for help did not come naturally to me as I felt I was wasting people¿¿s time and, knowing that my results were poor, I felt too intimidated and embarrassed to approach my professors.
In November, 2014 I was robbed whilst in the ARC changing room, causing me considerable duress and distracting me completely from my studies. I had to replace my personal possessions and recreate all course study notes. In addition to my clothes, identity cards, glasses, bank cards and cell phone being stolen, they also took my backpack containing my laptop and my entire study notes. At this point, I was very close to giving up on my dream to graduate from Queen¿¿s. (This was reported to Kingston Police under file number 14-33504. Campus Security can also verify this.)
In December, 2014 I learned that my aunt, to whom I am very close, was diagnosed with a recurrence of liver and kidney cancer which would require a second round of chemotherapy, albeit with low probability of survival.
These setbacks made my attempts to achieve an excellent second year and recover from a disappointing first year all the more difficult.
In February things began to improve.
Firstly, after a long, open conversation with my family, they supported me in putting my life back in order so that I could focus on recovering from the challenges above. The first (and most important) milestone in overcoming any challenge is to recognize and acknowledge that I have a problem ¿¿ this milestone has definitely been achieved.
Secondly, I purchased a replacement for my stolen laptop and worked tirelessly to recreate my missing course notes.
Next, I joined a Study Group with fellow Computer Science students to help me prepare for the final semester¿¿s exams. I also received assistance from my brother, a TA for CISC 260, plus I sought additional tutoring from Rachael House, a BioMed Computing student at Queen¿¿s with a GPA of approximately 4.0. The Study Group members, my brother and Rachael all helped me understand that seeking help is not a sign of weakness and changed my perception that I was wasting people¿¿s time.
The biggest motivation came from the news that my aunt has responded well to her treatment and is again winning her second battle against cancer.
My GPA for the first semester was a disappointing 0.88. However, following my turnaround in February, my second semester GPA improved to 2.17 and, although still needing further work, is clearly on the right trajectory.
Finally, knowing that more dedication is required, I am currently enrolled in a summer course to retake MATH 121 which will raise my GPA above the 1.60 requirement.
If allowed to return to Queen¿¿s, my immediate priority will be to contact a Learning Strategies Counselor to develop a strategy to manage my academics, plus a Personal Counselor so that I stay motivated and driven to succeed. When appropriate, I will also consult my professors to ensure that I meet the course objectives successfully. I have already contacted Irene LaFleche and will continue to seek her guidance.
I will retake the courses which I failed, along with one or two courses which I barely passed. I will take these next year along with a couple of lighter workload courses to bring me to (and not over) 30.0 course units. My GPA will rise to 2.0 by receiving a B- in each course, putting me on track to complete my degree with the Queen¿¿s School of Computing.
I take full accountability for my shortcomings of the past two years, despite the events outlined above. Having confronted and revealed my own faults and weaknesses, and having begun the process of recovery, I finally feel I know the steps I need to take, and continue to take, in order to be a successful student.
Attending Queen¿¿s is a privilege and I pray that I will be allowed the opportunity to return to Queen¿¿s to realize my dream of graduating from the finest university in Canada.
Thank you for your support and for considering my heartfelt appeal.
Yours sincerely
Rhys Eylott
10097155
Queen¿¿s University
June 14th, 2015
Dear Dr. Bénard,
I am appealing the Faculty's decision that I must withdraw from Queen's for a minimum of one year.
I feel the extenuating circumstances detailed below, which directly affected my academic performance, were beyond my control.
Although my results improved materially in the final semester, it was too late to attain the 1.60 GPA requirement (I narrowly missed with 1.50).
My family are new immigrants to Canada, so Canadian university was a whole new world to me and I required a longer time to adapt to life at Queen¿¿s. In contrast to the class sizes at Queen¿¿s, I previously attended several small private schools where class sizes were limited to 25. Reaching out for help did not come naturally to me as I felt I was wasting people¿¿s time and, knowing that my results were poor, I felt too intimidated and embarrassed to approach my professors.
In November, 2014 I was robbed whilst in the ARC changing room, causing me considerable duress and distracting me completely from my studies. I had to replace my personal possessions and recreate all course study notes. In addition to my clothes, identity cards, glasses, bank cards and cell phone being stolen, they also took my backpack containing my laptop and my entire study notes. At this point, I was very close to giving up on my dream to graduate from Queen¿¿s. (This was reported to Kingston Police under file number 14-33504. Campus Security can also verify this.)
In December, 2014 I learned that my aunt, to whom I am very close, was diagnosed with a recurrence of liver and kidney cancer which would require a second round of chemotherapy, albeit with low probability of survival.
These setbacks made my attempts to achieve an excellent second year and recover from a disappointing first year all the more difficult.
In February things began to improve.
Firstly, after a long, open conversation with my family, they supported me in putting my life back in order so that I could focus on recovering from the challenges above. The first (and most important) milestone in overcoming any challenge is to recognize and acknowledge that I have a problem ¿¿ this milestone has definitely been achieved.
Secondly, I purchased a replacement for my stolen laptop and worked tirelessly to recreate my missing course notes.
Next, I joined a Study Group with fellow Computer Science students to help me prepare for the final semester¿¿s exams. I also received assistance from my brother, a TA for CISC 260, plus I sought additional tutoring from Rachael House, a BioMed Computing student at Queen¿¿s with a GPA of approximately 4.0. The Study Group members, my brother and Rachael all helped me understand that seeking help is not a sign of weakness and changed my perception that I was wasting people¿¿s time.
The biggest motivation came from the news that my aunt has responded well to her treatment and is again winning her second battle against cancer.
My GPA for the first semester was a disappointing 0.88. However, following my turnaround in February, my second semester GPA improved to 2.17 and, although still needing further work, is clearly on the right trajectory.
Finally, knowing that more dedication is required, I am currently enrolled in a summer course to retake MATH 121 which will raise my GPA above the 1.60 requirement.
If allowed to return to Queen¿¿s, my immediate priority will be to contact a Learning Strategies Counselor to develop a strategy to manage my academics, plus a Personal Counselor so that I stay motivated and driven to succeed. When appropriate, I will also consult my professors to ensure that I meet the course objectives successfully. I have already contacted Irene LaFleche and will continue to seek her guidance.
I will retake the courses which I failed, along with one or two courses which I barely passed. I will take these next year along with a couple of lighter workload courses to bring me to (and not over) 30.0 course units. My GPA will rise to 2.0 by receiving a B- in each course, putting me on track to complete my degree with the Queen¿¿s School of Computing.
I take full accountability for my shortcomings of the past two years, despite the events outlined above. Having confronted and revealed my own faults and weaknesses, and having begun the process of recovery, I finally feel I know the steps I need to take, and continue to take, in order to be a successful student.
Attending Queen¿¿s is a privilege and I pray that I will be allowed the opportunity to return to Queen¿¿s to realize my dream of graduating from the finest university in Canada.
Thank you for your support and for considering my heartfelt appeal.
Yours sincerely
Rhys Eylott
10097155