Petition Letter
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing this letter on behalf of, and in support of our daughter, Sarah Lorraine Davis, regarding her request for academic consideration and to highlight a number of extenuating circumstances that she encountered during the Fall 2021 semester, the first semester of her final year in the BAH program portion of her Concurrent Education program which she commenced in September 2018. I have been authorized to share the contents of this letter with YOUR office by Sarah, however, it is my daughter??s understanding that the specific contents of same, will NOT be released to the professors involved with the courses for which she seeks academic consideration.
Over the course of the last four months (September-December 2021), in addition to the very difficult ??pandemic? circumstances, Sarah has encountered a number of extenuating circumstances which have led her to a state best described as ??academic paralysis?. The cumulative effect of said circumstances, in tandem with the already challenging situation she experiences on a daily basis due to her accommodated disabilities, has resulted in Sarah being unable to complete or prepare for the completion of all the required work in two of her courses, specifically HISTORY 353 (Professor David Parker) and SPANISH 111 (Professor Susana Beitman Brener) .
While Sarah has accessed a number of academic accommodations that resulted in extensions to complete some of the missed assignments, the shear number and extent of extenuating circumstances she has faced throughout the semester have dramatically impacted on her usually manageable medical and mental health issues, and she is now in a position that leaves her unable to meaningfully complete her final paper in her HISTORY 353 course at this time, and in a situation which will not provide adequate time for her to meaningfully engage in the preparation/study necessary to complete the final exam in Spanish in January.
HISTORY 353- The final paper is worth 30%. Sarah has discussed her situation with her Professor and he has encouraged her to seek an Incomplete at this point in time, rather than ask to drop the course without academic penalty or seek Aegrotat standing in the course. It is her understanding that she will be able to submit the outstanding work during the Winter 2022 semester and then the INC will be changed to the appropriate mark once it has been marked.
SPANISH 111 : The final exam is worth 25%. Sarah has completed the 75% component of term work. She is however, currently unable to meaningfully engage in any preparation/study necessary to successfully complete an exam in January. The extenuating circumstances that have accumulated over the past months have currently left Sarah drained of energy, and struggling with all aspects of day-to-day living. A period of rest, and reduced stress levels will alleviate this situation and allow for a fresh start in January.
Sarah respectfully requests that she be granted Aegrotat standing in her Spanish course and that such mark be calculated based on the work she has completed to date, either before or after a re-weighting of the two tests completed during the term component of the course. ( details regarding the re-weighting consideration will be discussed below).
Sarah has taken steps to address the situation that she finds herself in. She has, with our assistance, secured a new sublet for Winter 2022 that will address her changed housing needs. She is working toward receiving some further assistance with her mental health issues, although the referral she previously requested from her neurologist in September 2021 has not yet been secured. The remote delivery of courses until March 2022 will also be beneficial in moving forward. A time of rest between now and January 10th, will help greatly in alleviating the impact of the relevant extenuating circumstances. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Sarah will not be fully able to actively and successfully complete the 2022 Winter semester.
Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances:
Sarah receives academic accommodations for a number of diagnosed conditions, including Epilepsy, Anxiety and OCD- perfectionism. The degree to which these conditions, both individually and collectively affect Sarah??s ability to function in the academic arena, varies day-by-day, and can be impacted by a variety of triggers, most particularly, by elevated stress levels. Up until this semester, the first semester of her final year in the BAH program, Sarah has been able to employ appropriate accommodations that have allowed her to demonstrate her academic ability, such that she has been on the Dean??s Honour for 3 years in a row, as well as complete the majority of courses needed to also earn an International Studies Certificate and Certificate in Law ( she will complete the final requirements for the certificates during the upcoming Semester). Unfortunately, the below noted circumstances have put her in a position that leaves her no choice but to ask for the academic consideration set out above.
Mid-September: Multiple housemates test positive for COVID-19. Sarah moves out to temporary living situation for 10 days in order to avoid exposure. The increased stress level results in increased seizure activity and anxiety, making focus and concentration during this period extremely difficult.
October-November: Ongoing and escalating tensions in house, build to what is best categorized as ??toxic/hostile? levels, and on November 9th, Sarah makes the decision that it is in her best interest, and necessary for her mental wellbeing, to seek alternate accommodation. She ends up staying on a friend??s couch from that date, until mid-December when she returned to her family home for Christmas Break. While grateful for the support her friends provided during this difficult time, it meant living out of a duffle bag, with a minimum level of privacy for a prolonged period, profoundly affecting Sarah??s overall functioning and affecting her ability to focus, concentrate and/or complete daily tasks, never mind academic work.
Death of Aunt: On November 18,2021, Sarah??s ??Aunt Livey?, an honorary member of the family for over half a century, and grandmother figure to Sarah passed away. Her death triggered a deep sadness in Sarah that found her grieving during the following days/weeks. Her funeral was held on December 11, 2021. The death of Aunt Livey, who had been Sarah??s grandmother??s best friend for seventy years, brought to the forefront, the loss of Sarah??s grandmother which she experienced during her first year, and while away studying at BISC. This added to the grieving process significantly.
RE: SPANISH 111 Only:
??Traumatic interaction with professor after seeking accommodations?- week of November 20th.- According to Sarah, she submitted a request for bereavement after her aunt??s death. The Professor indicated that she could not accommodate the request, and referenced Sarah??s poor attendance at class. Sarah therefore, despite grieving, prepared for and attended the required class to complete her group presentation as scheduled the next day. Meanwhile, late in the evening, probably close to 11:00 pm, Sarah realized that the portal to complete and submit another assignment that had been due the day prior, had been closed. Believing that she had an automatic 7 day extension, Sarah sent an email asking that she re-open the portal, and that if this was a problem, she would refer the Professor to her academic advisor. Sarah did not expect an answer that evening, but anticipated hearing from the Professor the following morning. She did not receive a response, until a few minutes before the class that she was to do her presentation in, and the response simply chastised Sarah for emailing late at night. Moments later, Sarah walked into the classroom set for her group presentation. She was shocked and upset, when the Professor spent the first 5 to 10 minutes of the class informing the entire class that she had received a late night text from an inconsiderate student who had demanded accommodations etc. She went on to set out the student??s poor attendance record. That was bad enough, but the icing on the cake was when, after completing the comments, she indicated, again in front of the entire class, that she would see Sarah Davis after class. Despite being completely beside herself, Sarah went on to complete her presentation and received a grade of 90%.
After class Sarah spoke with the professor, and stood up for herself regarding how completely inappropriate the Professor??s actions had been. The Professor advised that she was not familiar with the policies etc. surrounding academic accommodations, as she was new to Queen??s. She agreed to allow Sarah to complete a missed in-class assignment and schedule time to do a missed test. The time allotted for this task was two days. The portal was re-opened for completion of the assignment, but rather than having 7 days after the due date, she was given only to the Friday to complete it. Sarah understood that would mean she would have until 11:59 pm on Friday to complete the task. The portal was again closed at approximately 4 pm, without Sarah finishing the assignment. She received partial marks for the portion she submitted.
Meanwhile, believing that she had no other option, Sarah attended to write the test on Thursday November 24th, as instructed. In retrospect, given the very stressful and difficult encounter with the professor on the Tuesday prior, Sarah realizes that she should not have attended and sought a further extension or alternate assignment. Throughout the period of taking the test, she was unable to focus and concentrate, and as a result handed in a very incomplete test. She received a grade of 23.7% on the test. Her prior test was scored at 60%. Many of the other components of work completed during the semester were scored at over 90%.
Sarah wishes to seek a re-weighting of the two tests, to 25% and 5%, versus 15% each, however is currently unable to address the Professor with respect to this issue, as the Professor notified the class that she would not have any internet services effective, December 10 until her return in January.
The cumulative effects of all the above noted circumstances have placed Sarah in a very negative space. She is struggling to deal with what to her seems ??failure? and it has taken a great deal of encouragement from her father and I to bring forward her request for academic consideration.
A period of rest between now and the beginning of the new semester will ensure that she will be able to actively participate in a successful Winter semester.
Should you require any further information, you may contact me, Sharon Davis, at 905 809 2637 or through this email address.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Sharon Davis (on behalf of Sarah Davis).
I am writing this letter on behalf of, and in support of our daughter, Sarah Lorraine Davis, regarding her request for academic consideration and to highlight a number of extenuating circumstances that she encountered during the Fall 2021 semester, the first semester of her final year in the BAH program portion of her Concurrent Education program which she commenced in September 2018. I have been authorized to share the contents of this letter with YOUR office by Sarah, however, it is my daughter??s understanding that the specific contents of same, will NOT be released to the professors involved with the courses for which she seeks academic consideration.
Over the course of the last four months (September-December 2021), in addition to the very difficult ??pandemic? circumstances, Sarah has encountered a number of extenuating circumstances which have led her to a state best described as ??academic paralysis?. The cumulative effect of said circumstances, in tandem with the already challenging situation she experiences on a daily basis due to her accommodated disabilities, has resulted in Sarah being unable to complete or prepare for the completion of all the required work in two of her courses, specifically HISTORY 353 (Professor David Parker) and SPANISH 111 (Professor Susana Beitman Brener) .
While Sarah has accessed a number of academic accommodations that resulted in extensions to complete some of the missed assignments, the shear number and extent of extenuating circumstances she has faced throughout the semester have dramatically impacted on her usually manageable medical and mental health issues, and she is now in a position that leaves her unable to meaningfully complete her final paper in her HISTORY 353 course at this time, and in a situation which will not provide adequate time for her to meaningfully engage in the preparation/study necessary to complete the final exam in Spanish in January.
HISTORY 353- The final paper is worth 30%. Sarah has discussed her situation with her Professor and he has encouraged her to seek an Incomplete at this point in time, rather than ask to drop the course without academic penalty or seek Aegrotat standing in the course. It is her understanding that she will be able to submit the outstanding work during the Winter 2022 semester and then the INC will be changed to the appropriate mark once it has been marked.
SPANISH 111 : The final exam is worth 25%. Sarah has completed the 75% component of term work. She is however, currently unable to meaningfully engage in any preparation/study necessary to successfully complete an exam in January. The extenuating circumstances that have accumulated over the past months have currently left Sarah drained of energy, and struggling with all aspects of day-to-day living. A period of rest, and reduced stress levels will alleviate this situation and allow for a fresh start in January.
Sarah respectfully requests that she be granted Aegrotat standing in her Spanish course and that such mark be calculated based on the work she has completed to date, either before or after a re-weighting of the two tests completed during the term component of the course. ( details regarding the re-weighting consideration will be discussed below).
Sarah has taken steps to address the situation that she finds herself in. She has, with our assistance, secured a new sublet for Winter 2022 that will address her changed housing needs. She is working toward receiving some further assistance with her mental health issues, although the referral she previously requested from her neurologist in September 2021 has not yet been secured. The remote delivery of courses until March 2022 will also be beneficial in moving forward. A time of rest between now and January 10th, will help greatly in alleviating the impact of the relevant extenuating circumstances. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Sarah will not be fully able to actively and successfully complete the 2022 Winter semester.
Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances:
Sarah receives academic accommodations for a number of diagnosed conditions, including Epilepsy, Anxiety and OCD- perfectionism. The degree to which these conditions, both individually and collectively affect Sarah??s ability to function in the academic arena, varies day-by-day, and can be impacted by a variety of triggers, most particularly, by elevated stress levels. Up until this semester, the first semester of her final year in the BAH program, Sarah has been able to employ appropriate accommodations that have allowed her to demonstrate her academic ability, such that she has been on the Dean??s Honour for 3 years in a row, as well as complete the majority of courses needed to also earn an International Studies Certificate and Certificate in Law ( she will complete the final requirements for the certificates during the upcoming Semester). Unfortunately, the below noted circumstances have put her in a position that leaves her no choice but to ask for the academic consideration set out above.
Mid-September: Multiple housemates test positive for COVID-19. Sarah moves out to temporary living situation for 10 days in order to avoid exposure. The increased stress level results in increased seizure activity and anxiety, making focus and concentration during this period extremely difficult.
October-November: Ongoing and escalating tensions in house, build to what is best categorized as ??toxic/hostile? levels, and on November 9th, Sarah makes the decision that it is in her best interest, and necessary for her mental wellbeing, to seek alternate accommodation. She ends up staying on a friend??s couch from that date, until mid-December when she returned to her family home for Christmas Break. While grateful for the support her friends provided during this difficult time, it meant living out of a duffle bag, with a minimum level of privacy for a prolonged period, profoundly affecting Sarah??s overall functioning and affecting her ability to focus, concentrate and/or complete daily tasks, never mind academic work.
Death of Aunt: On November 18,2021, Sarah??s ??Aunt Livey?, an honorary member of the family for over half a century, and grandmother figure to Sarah passed away. Her death triggered a deep sadness in Sarah that found her grieving during the following days/weeks. Her funeral was held on December 11, 2021. The death of Aunt Livey, who had been Sarah??s grandmother??s best friend for seventy years, brought to the forefront, the loss of Sarah??s grandmother which she experienced during her first year, and while away studying at BISC. This added to the grieving process significantly.
RE: SPANISH 111 Only:
??Traumatic interaction with professor after seeking accommodations?- week of November 20th.- According to Sarah, she submitted a request for bereavement after her aunt??s death. The Professor indicated that she could not accommodate the request, and referenced Sarah??s poor attendance at class. Sarah therefore, despite grieving, prepared for and attended the required class to complete her group presentation as scheduled the next day. Meanwhile, late in the evening, probably close to 11:00 pm, Sarah realized that the portal to complete and submit another assignment that had been due the day prior, had been closed. Believing that she had an automatic 7 day extension, Sarah sent an email asking that she re-open the portal, and that if this was a problem, she would refer the Professor to her academic advisor. Sarah did not expect an answer that evening, but anticipated hearing from the Professor the following morning. She did not receive a response, until a few minutes before the class that she was to do her presentation in, and the response simply chastised Sarah for emailing late at night. Moments later, Sarah walked into the classroom set for her group presentation. She was shocked and upset, when the Professor spent the first 5 to 10 minutes of the class informing the entire class that she had received a late night text from an inconsiderate student who had demanded accommodations etc. She went on to set out the student??s poor attendance record. That was bad enough, but the icing on the cake was when, after completing the comments, she indicated, again in front of the entire class, that she would see Sarah Davis after class. Despite being completely beside herself, Sarah went on to complete her presentation and received a grade of 90%.
After class Sarah spoke with the professor, and stood up for herself regarding how completely inappropriate the Professor??s actions had been. The Professor advised that she was not familiar with the policies etc. surrounding academic accommodations, as she was new to Queen??s. She agreed to allow Sarah to complete a missed in-class assignment and schedule time to do a missed test. The time allotted for this task was two days. The portal was re-opened for completion of the assignment, but rather than having 7 days after the due date, she was given only to the Friday to complete it. Sarah understood that would mean she would have until 11:59 pm on Friday to complete the task. The portal was again closed at approximately 4 pm, without Sarah finishing the assignment. She received partial marks for the portion she submitted.
Meanwhile, believing that she had no other option, Sarah attended to write the test on Thursday November 24th, as instructed. In retrospect, given the very stressful and difficult encounter with the professor on the Tuesday prior, Sarah realizes that she should not have attended and sought a further extension or alternate assignment. Throughout the period of taking the test, she was unable to focus and concentrate, and as a result handed in a very incomplete test. She received a grade of 23.7% on the test. Her prior test was scored at 60%. Many of the other components of work completed during the semester were scored at over 90%.
Sarah wishes to seek a re-weighting of the two tests, to 25% and 5%, versus 15% each, however is currently unable to address the Professor with respect to this issue, as the Professor notified the class that she would not have any internet services effective, December 10 until her return in January.
The cumulative effects of all the above noted circumstances have placed Sarah in a very negative space. She is struggling to deal with what to her seems ??failure? and it has taken a great deal of encouragement from her father and I to bring forward her request for academic consideration.
A period of rest between now and the beginning of the new semester will ensure that she will be able to actively participate in a successful Winter semester.
Should you require any further information, you may contact me, Sharon Davis, at 905 809 2637 or through this email address.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Sharon Davis (on behalf of Sarah Davis).