Petition Letter
Dear Dean of Studies,
I am writing you to appeal to extend my course completion of POLS 110B. On March 17th, 2014 I received my fourth sever concussion, which led to a five-month recovery time while under the care and guidance of the University of Toronto Concussion Clinic and my family doctor. For four of these months I was unable to stimulate my brain in any manner ¿¿ walk, read, or see light without triggering a serve headache or exhaustion. This led me to be constrained to a darkroom for this several weeks. This consequently led me unable to complete the Winter 2014 semester, which includes the completion of the course POL 110B ¿¿ I was only taking three courses at the time to help manage my epilepsy while adjusting to a new lifestyle and the other two courses did not have a final exam so they reweighted my grades. After consulting with my doctors, it was decided that it would be in the interest of my long-term health to defer the completion date of my POLS 110B examination. When speaking with the Examination Office, Disability Services and the Politics Department about how to proceed with rescheduling an examination, I was told that the examination office nor disability services were responsible for rearranging the date of the examination and to speak with the instructor for a agreed upon date, and to lastly submit a Verification of Illness, doctors notes and email the Examination Office to confirm my exam cancellation. Professor Oded Haklai and I, then agreed in late spring of 2014 that I would complete the exam in the beginning of September 2014. Although, in the second last week of August I retained another concussion. This was a matter beyond my control. As this was only a month after I had fully recovered from my pervious concussion I was highly susceptible to another concussion. Upon receiving this fifth concussion I emailed Professor Oded Haklai to inquire about deferring the examination once again due to another concussion. Within these email exchanges we agreed that I would complete the examination in early January 2015. This decision was based upon the fact that this was now my fifth concussion, and the earlier concussions led to my development of epilepsy, which is an indicator of already present brain damage and to postpone the date would allow me adequate time to recover and study for the exam, without inhibiting my long-term health. Thus, knowing that I was able to postpone the completion date of POLS 110B and due to my history, I decided to take the Fall 2014 term off to fully recover from these two concussions to help minimize the risk of these incidences impacting my long-term health. This decision did not come with ease, but was result of it not worthy of taking the risk of further damages. In early November of 2014, I emailed Professor Oded Haklai to inform him that I was now symptom free and well enough to complete the POLS 110B examination. We then agreed that I would complete the exam on the morning of December 1st 2014. The IN Form only became aware to Professor Oded Haklai and I on Sunday December 16th, 2014. Despite consulting with the Examination Office, Disability Services and Politics Department in spring of 2014 I was never made aware of this form and the September 15th deadline for course completion date, this is why I am appealing to you now. Despite the deadline stated on this form, I still would have not been able to complete the POLS 110B examination by September 15th due to these extenuating circumstances beyond my control. My pervious concussions led to the loss of three days memory, up to six month recovery time and the development of epilepsy. Due to my history of concussions and brain damage, it has consequent in a significantly longer recovery time and a larger risk for damage to the brain for each concussion I receive. If I were to complete the examination in September of 2014 or anytime prior to now, would not have allowed for adequate recovery time, thus inhibiting my academic performance and not allowing my brain adequate healing time, as the concussion would have effected my ability to remember and retain information. If this was my first concussion or I was not epileptic I believe this would have changed the circumstance significantly, but since my epilepsy is an indicator and evidence of brain damage from my previous concussion this was a situation beyond my ability to control. I sincerely ask you to accept my appeal to extent my course completion date to early December. Professor Oded Haklai have agreed to wait until we receive a response from the appeal to set a date for the exam completion. He has as well emailed Ms. Haley Everson a letter stating he is in agreement with me extending POLS 110B examination to early December. My family doctor is unable to write me a note as she was not the one who assessed after the concussion in August, I have contacted the doctor that did assess me and give me a treatment plan and he has agreed to write me a letter, but is currently on holidays and will be returning this week. I will send the doctors note confirming my concussion and treatment plan as soon as I receive it from the doctor.
If you look at the courses that I have completed while at Queen¿¿s University I have done well in all, as learning is a passion of mine. If this were another subject, I may not have requested an appeal, but politics is something I wish to pursue for my academic major but I was unable to declare in the Spring of 2014 as I had to wait for my marks to be reweighted to have enough credits to declare and then the major was full. Prior to my last concussion I was one of the first youth sitting on Plan Canada¿¿s Board of Directors as a part of their Youth Advisory Council innovative, and in the mist of developing my own non-governmental organization. To be able to complete this examination in early December would allow me adequate time to prepare, and a chance to pursue my future ambitions, of creating my own non-governmental organization. The completion of POLS 110B is vital as this is the subject I wish to major in throughout my time at Queens University. The concussions and amount of recovery time needed to adequately heal were circumstances beyond my control, I could have not done anything differently to speed up my recovery in time to write the POLS 110B examination by September 15th, without inhibiting my academic ability and future brain health.
I have attached my Verification of Illness and doctors note from the Spring of 2014, while awaiting my second doctors note.
Please let me know if you would like to obtain the email exchanges between Professor Oded Haklai and I.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Nicole Toole
I am writing you to appeal to extend my course completion of POLS 110B. On March 17th, 2014 I received my fourth sever concussion, which led to a five-month recovery time while under the care and guidance of the University of Toronto Concussion Clinic and my family doctor. For four of these months I was unable to stimulate my brain in any manner ¿¿ walk, read, or see light without triggering a serve headache or exhaustion. This led me to be constrained to a darkroom for this several weeks. This consequently led me unable to complete the Winter 2014 semester, which includes the completion of the course POL 110B ¿¿ I was only taking three courses at the time to help manage my epilepsy while adjusting to a new lifestyle and the other two courses did not have a final exam so they reweighted my grades. After consulting with my doctors, it was decided that it would be in the interest of my long-term health to defer the completion date of my POLS 110B examination. When speaking with the Examination Office, Disability Services and the Politics Department about how to proceed with rescheduling an examination, I was told that the examination office nor disability services were responsible for rearranging the date of the examination and to speak with the instructor for a agreed upon date, and to lastly submit a Verification of Illness, doctors notes and email the Examination Office to confirm my exam cancellation. Professor Oded Haklai and I, then agreed in late spring of 2014 that I would complete the exam in the beginning of September 2014. Although, in the second last week of August I retained another concussion. This was a matter beyond my control. As this was only a month after I had fully recovered from my pervious concussion I was highly susceptible to another concussion. Upon receiving this fifth concussion I emailed Professor Oded Haklai to inquire about deferring the examination once again due to another concussion. Within these email exchanges we agreed that I would complete the examination in early January 2015. This decision was based upon the fact that this was now my fifth concussion, and the earlier concussions led to my development of epilepsy, which is an indicator of already present brain damage and to postpone the date would allow me adequate time to recover and study for the exam, without inhibiting my long-term health. Thus, knowing that I was able to postpone the completion date of POLS 110B and due to my history, I decided to take the Fall 2014 term off to fully recover from these two concussions to help minimize the risk of these incidences impacting my long-term health. This decision did not come with ease, but was result of it not worthy of taking the risk of further damages. In early November of 2014, I emailed Professor Oded Haklai to inform him that I was now symptom free and well enough to complete the POLS 110B examination. We then agreed that I would complete the exam on the morning of December 1st 2014. The IN Form only became aware to Professor Oded Haklai and I on Sunday December 16th, 2014. Despite consulting with the Examination Office, Disability Services and Politics Department in spring of 2014 I was never made aware of this form and the September 15th deadline for course completion date, this is why I am appealing to you now. Despite the deadline stated on this form, I still would have not been able to complete the POLS 110B examination by September 15th due to these extenuating circumstances beyond my control. My pervious concussions led to the loss of three days memory, up to six month recovery time and the development of epilepsy. Due to my history of concussions and brain damage, it has consequent in a significantly longer recovery time and a larger risk for damage to the brain for each concussion I receive. If I were to complete the examination in September of 2014 or anytime prior to now, would not have allowed for adequate recovery time, thus inhibiting my academic performance and not allowing my brain adequate healing time, as the concussion would have effected my ability to remember and retain information. If this was my first concussion or I was not epileptic I believe this would have changed the circumstance significantly, but since my epilepsy is an indicator and evidence of brain damage from my previous concussion this was a situation beyond my ability to control. I sincerely ask you to accept my appeal to extent my course completion date to early December. Professor Oded Haklai have agreed to wait until we receive a response from the appeal to set a date for the exam completion. He has as well emailed Ms. Haley Everson a letter stating he is in agreement with me extending POLS 110B examination to early December. My family doctor is unable to write me a note as she was not the one who assessed after the concussion in August, I have contacted the doctor that did assess me and give me a treatment plan and he has agreed to write me a letter, but is currently on holidays and will be returning this week. I will send the doctors note confirming my concussion and treatment plan as soon as I receive it from the doctor.
If you look at the courses that I have completed while at Queen¿¿s University I have done well in all, as learning is a passion of mine. If this were another subject, I may not have requested an appeal, but politics is something I wish to pursue for my academic major but I was unable to declare in the Spring of 2014 as I had to wait for my marks to be reweighted to have enough credits to declare and then the major was full. Prior to my last concussion I was one of the first youth sitting on Plan Canada¿¿s Board of Directors as a part of their Youth Advisory Council innovative, and in the mist of developing my own non-governmental organization. To be able to complete this examination in early December would allow me adequate time to prepare, and a chance to pursue my future ambitions, of creating my own non-governmental organization. The completion of POLS 110B is vital as this is the subject I wish to major in throughout my time at Queens University. The concussions and amount of recovery time needed to adequately heal were circumstances beyond my control, I could have not done anything differently to speed up my recovery in time to write the POLS 110B examination by September 15th, without inhibiting my academic ability and future brain health.
I have attached my Verification of Illness and doctors note from the Spring of 2014, while awaiting my second doctors note.
Please let me know if you would like to obtain the email exchanges between Professor Oded Haklai and I.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Nicole Toole