Petition Letter
Dear Katherine Rudder,
I, Tiana Nguyen, am appealing to late drop BCHM 310 (2018-2019).
During the 2018-2019 year, I had been suffering from declining mental health. However, I was undiagnosed and was therefore uninformed about my resources and my eligibility for Accessibility services. In the academic year of 2018-2019, I struggled with taking tests and exams due to my mental illness, which impacted my performance in courses. In April 2019, I experienced a traumatic event that prevented me from writing my exams for the winter semester. For my own safety and mental health, I was admitted to the hospital from April 5th until inpatient care deemed me stable enough to leave on the 8th. Student Wellness Services gave me approximately a month to recover by granting me an academic accommodation from April 5th until May 13th. Given that BCHM 310 was a full year course, I could not have foreseen that I would go through a severely debilitating event in the winter exam period, so I could not drop the course before the deadline.
In the winter semester, FILM 240 (online) was graded upon assignments and no exam, and FREN 107 had an online exam worth 15 which I felt comfortable and stable enough to do prior to the traumatic event. BCHM 310, PATH 310 and PHGY 350 all had final exams worth 25, 35 and 50 respectively. For PATH 310, the professor gave me an alternate form of assessment in the form of an open book take-home exam which gave me the chance to earn my grade at my own speed and comfort. For my PHGY 350 exam, the professor was flexible enough to allow me to defer multiple times before I was able to write it.
In BCHM 310, the professor and course coordinator could only offer one exam deferral date that was only available before the end of my accommodations, so I could not write it during the summer. They then offered a deferred exam date on September 23rd 2019 which I agreed to. However, prior to the exam, I suffered another traumatic event that rendered me unable to write the exam, and I requested another deferral with supporting documentation from SWS. They informed me that there were no more available exam deferral dates for the time being, and that they would contact me again in the future regarding my exam and my grade. However, I was given no response, and I discovered that my BCHM 310 grade on SOLUS was changed from IN to F without warning. This caused another emotionally distressing event which prompted another emergency visit to SWS.
Since the traumatic event in April, I have received help and treatment from Kingston General Hospital and Student Wellness Services. SWS strongly recommended that I also register for accommodations with Student Accessibility Services (SAS), which I did during the summer and have taken effect for the 2019-2020 academic year. I continue to regularly attend SWS counselling and appointments with my physician. I have also attended multiple therapy groups hosted by KGH and Queen's University over the summer and fall. I feel that while I still struggle with my condition, I have improved since September with these resources. I was recommended by an academic counsellor and my personal counsellor at Queen's to submit a late drop due to these circumstances. However, both the deferred exam and my counsellors' recommendation came after the one-term deadline, so I could not have written an appeal before then.
Moving forward, I plan to switch my degree plan from Life Sciences Specialization to Life Sciences Major, to reduce my compulsory course load, which would effectively make BCHM 310 no longer required for my degree. I have now registered for accommodations with SAS, which will help me with achieving my academic goals and requirements. Upon SWS and SAS recommendation, I have also lightened my course load to 4 courses per semester instead of 5, and I will delay my graduation from May 2020 until I have met my degree requirements. Lastly, I have corresponded with Arts and Sciences Academic Counselling to help plan my future courses.
I, Tiana Nguyen, am appealing to late drop BCHM 310 (2018-2019).
During the 2018-2019 year, I had been suffering from declining mental health. However, I was undiagnosed and was therefore uninformed about my resources and my eligibility for Accessibility services. In the academic year of 2018-2019, I struggled with taking tests and exams due to my mental illness, which impacted my performance in courses. In April 2019, I experienced a traumatic event that prevented me from writing my exams for the winter semester. For my own safety and mental health, I was admitted to the hospital from April 5th until inpatient care deemed me stable enough to leave on the 8th. Student Wellness Services gave me approximately a month to recover by granting me an academic accommodation from April 5th until May 13th. Given that BCHM 310 was a full year course, I could not have foreseen that I would go through a severely debilitating event in the winter exam period, so I could not drop the course before the deadline.
In the winter semester, FILM 240 (online) was graded upon assignments and no exam, and FREN 107 had an online exam worth 15 which I felt comfortable and stable enough to do prior to the traumatic event. BCHM 310, PATH 310 and PHGY 350 all had final exams worth 25, 35 and 50 respectively. For PATH 310, the professor gave me an alternate form of assessment in the form of an open book take-home exam which gave me the chance to earn my grade at my own speed and comfort. For my PHGY 350 exam, the professor was flexible enough to allow me to defer multiple times before I was able to write it.
In BCHM 310, the professor and course coordinator could only offer one exam deferral date that was only available before the end of my accommodations, so I could not write it during the summer. They then offered a deferred exam date on September 23rd 2019 which I agreed to. However, prior to the exam, I suffered another traumatic event that rendered me unable to write the exam, and I requested another deferral with supporting documentation from SWS. They informed me that there were no more available exam deferral dates for the time being, and that they would contact me again in the future regarding my exam and my grade. However, I was given no response, and I discovered that my BCHM 310 grade on SOLUS was changed from IN to F without warning. This caused another emotionally distressing event which prompted another emergency visit to SWS.
Since the traumatic event in April, I have received help and treatment from Kingston General Hospital and Student Wellness Services. SWS strongly recommended that I also register for accommodations with Student Accessibility Services (SAS), which I did during the summer and have taken effect for the 2019-2020 academic year. I continue to regularly attend SWS counselling and appointments with my physician. I have also attended multiple therapy groups hosted by KGH and Queen's University over the summer and fall. I feel that while I still struggle with my condition, I have improved since September with these resources. I was recommended by an academic counsellor and my personal counsellor at Queen's to submit a late drop due to these circumstances. However, both the deferred exam and my counsellors' recommendation came after the one-term deadline, so I could not have written an appeal before then.
Moving forward, I plan to switch my degree plan from Life Sciences Specialization to Life Sciences Major, to reduce my compulsory course load, which would effectively make BCHM 310 no longer required for my degree. I have now registered for accommodations with SAS, which will help me with achieving my academic goals and requirements. Upon SWS and SAS recommendation, I have also lightened my course load to 4 courses per semester instead of 5, and I will delay my graduation from May 2020 until I have met my degree requirements. Lastly, I have corresponded with Arts and Sciences Academic Counselling to help plan my future courses.