Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing to waive the One-Term deadline to drop a class.
Last term, (winter 2017) I failed to pass my MUSC 102 course. The reason for the failure was due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control that happened April 20th 2017, the night before my exam. In short, the situation involved me supporting an extremely suicidal friend all night and getting no sleep before the exam which was the morning of April 21st. The event was very serious and Campus security was involved as we were living in Residence. It was my last exam of the year, so no other exam was effected. I do believe however that it effected my state of mind during the music exam causing me to fail the exam as well as the class. The friend involved in the situation as gotten the help needed since the event.
I did not appeal to drop the class within the deadline for a variety of reasons. Firstly, after completing the exam, I did not look for ways to drop the class as it was a very sensitive topic for me. I left Kingston April 22, the day after my exam. Upon arriving home, I did not speak about the incident with my parents and only to a couple close friends. The event made leaving Kingston and my friend, very difficult. Everything was such horrible timing. When I got my marks back and saw that I had failed, I was not surprised considering the circumstances however, it was summer and being far from Kingston made it easy to push the thought aside. I figured that I could retake the class in fourth year and did not know about appealing so once again I avoided any thoughts of the situation. Now, reflecting back, I do not feel comfortable with the thought of taking the exam again and bringing back those difficult memories.
I was not aware of the possibility of dropping a class due to this type of situation because I had never been in a situation like this before. It was not until I met with Niki Kaloudras (Undergraduate Assistant of Global Development Studies) on September 13th, 2017 to discuss unrelated topics about majors and work-study placements. She noticed the failed class and when she heard my reasoning, she suggested that it would be in my best interest to appeal to drop the class, as the mark would likely effect my future. This was the first time I learned about dropping a class after having taking the exam, and I believed that I had missed the deadline. It just so happened that the last day to submit an appeal had been extended to September 15th, which I missed as I was not able to meet with a second advisor (Spring Forsberg) until a later date. Niki Kaloudras has made a statement supporting these details.
Finally, after taking Niki Kaloudras¿¿s advice, I made an appointment with Spring Forsberg to learn how to move forward with an appeal. We met on September 27th, 2017 and discussed the appeals that I should submit. All of these situations are reasons as to how I missed the One-Term deadline. After this appeal I plan to appeal to drop the MUSC 102 class as well as explain in greater details, the situation that lead to the fail.
This first appeal is of high importance for me because dropping the music class will significantly change my GPA. My current average does not accurately depict my work habits as seen in the high marks of my other classes. I also wish to apply for a Queens International Exchange, which will look towards my average and this music class can affect my opportunities for this program. It also can affect applications for graduate school in the future. The situations that caused me to fail the class as well as miss the deadline to appeal were both out of my control and have an impact on my future. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
- Aimée Carter 20030319
I am appealing to waive the One-Term deadline to drop a class.
Last term, (winter 2017) I failed to pass my MUSC 102 course. The reason for the failure was due to extenuating circumstances beyond my control that happened April 20th 2017, the night before my exam. In short, the situation involved me supporting an extremely suicidal friend all night and getting no sleep before the exam which was the morning of April 21st. The event was very serious and Campus security was involved as we were living in Residence. It was my last exam of the year, so no other exam was effected. I do believe however that it effected my state of mind during the music exam causing me to fail the exam as well as the class. The friend involved in the situation as gotten the help needed since the event.
I did not appeal to drop the class within the deadline for a variety of reasons. Firstly, after completing the exam, I did not look for ways to drop the class as it was a very sensitive topic for me. I left Kingston April 22, the day after my exam. Upon arriving home, I did not speak about the incident with my parents and only to a couple close friends. The event made leaving Kingston and my friend, very difficult. Everything was such horrible timing. When I got my marks back and saw that I had failed, I was not surprised considering the circumstances however, it was summer and being far from Kingston made it easy to push the thought aside. I figured that I could retake the class in fourth year and did not know about appealing so once again I avoided any thoughts of the situation. Now, reflecting back, I do not feel comfortable with the thought of taking the exam again and bringing back those difficult memories.
I was not aware of the possibility of dropping a class due to this type of situation because I had never been in a situation like this before. It was not until I met with Niki Kaloudras (Undergraduate Assistant of Global Development Studies) on September 13th, 2017 to discuss unrelated topics about majors and work-study placements. She noticed the failed class and when she heard my reasoning, she suggested that it would be in my best interest to appeal to drop the class, as the mark would likely effect my future. This was the first time I learned about dropping a class after having taking the exam, and I believed that I had missed the deadline. It just so happened that the last day to submit an appeal had been extended to September 15th, which I missed as I was not able to meet with a second advisor (Spring Forsberg) until a later date. Niki Kaloudras has made a statement supporting these details.
Finally, after taking Niki Kaloudras¿¿s advice, I made an appointment with Spring Forsberg to learn how to move forward with an appeal. We met on September 27th, 2017 and discussed the appeals that I should submit. All of these situations are reasons as to how I missed the One-Term deadline. After this appeal I plan to appeal to drop the MUSC 102 class as well as explain in greater details, the situation that lead to the fail.
This first appeal is of high importance for me because dropping the music class will significantly change my GPA. My current average does not accurately depict my work habits as seen in the high marks of my other classes. I also wish to apply for a Queens International Exchange, which will look towards my average and this music class can affect my opportunities for this program. It also can affect applications for graduate school in the future. The situations that caused me to fail the class as well as miss the deadline to appeal were both out of my control and have an impact on my future. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
- Aimée Carter 20030319