Petition Letter
Tuesday, February 1st, 2022
To whom it may concern,
I am Noelle Sinkic, a student enrolled in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Music program; I have spent the duration of my degree enrolled as a full-time, on-campus student when public health circumstances have allowed.
After returning to in-person educational delivery in the fall 2021 semester for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, I experienced a great deal of hesitancy and stress. As a student who plays a woodwind instrument, my degree program demands I participate in a number of high-risk activities for credit. This includes ensemble courses that require groups of approximately forty students playing instruments in a hall without masks, and sometimes even with no barriers between instrumentalists. This lack of protocol was particularly prominent in the Queen's Wind Ensemble, a course I was enrolled in, but then dropped to avoid unsafe situations. This risk to my health and safety lead me to repeatedly address the improper safety practises in this course, and ones similar, to the DAN School of Drama and Music administration. Since our return, I have been very outspoken to the DAN School about my concerns regarding the lack of protocol and enforcement.
As it currently stands, I am enrolled in two courses, MUSC 191 and MUSC 415, both set to return to in-person delivery at the end of next month. These two courses are the only full year classes I have enrolled in this year. While I would prefer to limit my on campus exposure, for my own personal concerns, but also as my family is currently housing my sick Grandfather, I cannot afford to forgo the work I put into these courses last semester, and have no choice but to continue my studies in them. I purposely enrolled in a lesser course load this semester to allow myself more time to travel home during the online period and spend time with my Grandfather. Unknowing that this low number of units was advised against by the University until an academic advising appointment, yesterday. At the start of this term, I was enrolled in one single term course. Due to the family matters addressed above I was already worried about my ability to succeed in the course. After learning the University would return to in-person delivery, last Friday, January 28th, I recognized that for the preservation of my, and my family's health, it is in my best interest to certainly not continue in this course. I have accordingly dropped said course; I did so the day our return to campus was announced.
The reason I am having to address this issue after the add/drop date is because at the time of the add/drop date I mistakenly made the assumption that due to current KFL&A case numbers and the provincially proposed lockdown, the return to in-person learning was unlikely.? ?When the return to in-person learning was announced I dropped the single term course I was enrolled in, believing that continuing with 2 courses for the semester would not impact my academic standing with the University.? After meeting with an Academic Advisor yesterday, I learned that this is not that case, and that I must carry a course load of a minimum of four courses this semester.? In this meeting we did devise a plan whereby I could add 2 online courses; satisfying both the University??s course requirement and my personal need to limit my physical return to campus. However, because the timing of the announcement was after the add date, I have been advised that I must submit this appeal requesting an exception and allowing me to register for the 2 online courses. In my four years of study at the University, I have never submitted an appeal or asked for an accommodation of this nature, I misjudged the situation and am now faced with choosing between my health and academic success. I am confident this appeal will allow me to be successful in my degree while allowing for a more comfortable return to campus.
I am submitting this appeal to propose my late enrolment in two online courses that would drastically ease my growing anxiety about the impending return to campus. Due to the circumstances above, I understand that my current lightened course load classifies me as a part-time student. After meeting with an academic advisor today, I was informed that this would put me at risk for academic probation, something I wasn??t aware of, would very much like to avoid if at all possible. My plan is to continue in a fifth year of study, where I will learn as a full time, on-campus student with an anticipated reduction in my high anxiety regarding COVID-19 uncertainty, and my Grandfather's health; at that time I hope this won't hinder my studies as it uniquely has this academic year.
Please see the information on the proposed courses here:
FILM 240 - https://www.queensu.ca/artsci_online/courses/media-and-popular-culture
LLCU 111 - https://www.queensu.ca/artsci_online/courses/intercultural-communication
Sincerely,
Noelle E. Sinkic
To whom it may concern,
I am Noelle Sinkic, a student enrolled in her fourth year of the Bachelor of Music program; I have spent the duration of my degree enrolled as a full-time, on-campus student when public health circumstances have allowed.
After returning to in-person educational delivery in the fall 2021 semester for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, I experienced a great deal of hesitancy and stress. As a student who plays a woodwind instrument, my degree program demands I participate in a number of high-risk activities for credit. This includes ensemble courses that require groups of approximately forty students playing instruments in a hall without masks, and sometimes even with no barriers between instrumentalists. This lack of protocol was particularly prominent in the Queen's Wind Ensemble, a course I was enrolled in, but then dropped to avoid unsafe situations. This risk to my health and safety lead me to repeatedly address the improper safety practises in this course, and ones similar, to the DAN School of Drama and Music administration. Since our return, I have been very outspoken to the DAN School about my concerns regarding the lack of protocol and enforcement.
As it currently stands, I am enrolled in two courses, MUSC 191 and MUSC 415, both set to return to in-person delivery at the end of next month. These two courses are the only full year classes I have enrolled in this year. While I would prefer to limit my on campus exposure, for my own personal concerns, but also as my family is currently housing my sick Grandfather, I cannot afford to forgo the work I put into these courses last semester, and have no choice but to continue my studies in them. I purposely enrolled in a lesser course load this semester to allow myself more time to travel home during the online period and spend time with my Grandfather. Unknowing that this low number of units was advised against by the University until an academic advising appointment, yesterday. At the start of this term, I was enrolled in one single term course. Due to the family matters addressed above I was already worried about my ability to succeed in the course. After learning the University would return to in-person delivery, last Friday, January 28th, I recognized that for the preservation of my, and my family's health, it is in my best interest to certainly not continue in this course. I have accordingly dropped said course; I did so the day our return to campus was announced.
The reason I am having to address this issue after the add/drop date is because at the time of the add/drop date I mistakenly made the assumption that due to current KFL&A case numbers and the provincially proposed lockdown, the return to in-person learning was unlikely.? ?When the return to in-person learning was announced I dropped the single term course I was enrolled in, believing that continuing with 2 courses for the semester would not impact my academic standing with the University.? After meeting with an Academic Advisor yesterday, I learned that this is not that case, and that I must carry a course load of a minimum of four courses this semester.? In this meeting we did devise a plan whereby I could add 2 online courses; satisfying both the University??s course requirement and my personal need to limit my physical return to campus. However, because the timing of the announcement was after the add date, I have been advised that I must submit this appeal requesting an exception and allowing me to register for the 2 online courses. In my four years of study at the University, I have never submitted an appeal or asked for an accommodation of this nature, I misjudged the situation and am now faced with choosing between my health and academic success. I am confident this appeal will allow me to be successful in my degree while allowing for a more comfortable return to campus.
I am submitting this appeal to propose my late enrolment in two online courses that would drastically ease my growing anxiety about the impending return to campus. Due to the circumstances above, I understand that my current lightened course load classifies me as a part-time student. After meeting with an academic advisor today, I was informed that this would put me at risk for academic probation, something I wasn??t aware of, would very much like to avoid if at all possible. My plan is to continue in a fifth year of study, where I will learn as a full time, on-campus student with an anticipated reduction in my high anxiety regarding COVID-19 uncertainty, and my Grandfather's health; at that time I hope this won't hinder my studies as it uniquely has this academic year.
Please see the information on the proposed courses here:
FILM 240 - https://www.queensu.ca/artsci_online/courses/media-and-popular-culture
LLCU 111 - https://www.queensu.ca/artsci_online/courses/intercultural-communication
Sincerely,
Noelle E. Sinkic