Petition Letter
Friday, February 25th, 2022
To: Faculty of Arts and Science: Office of Academic Appeals: Appeals to the Associate Deans (Academic)
Dear Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Stephenson,
a. The Request
My name is Miriam John, and I am a current 5th year BScH (Biology) student. I am appealing for an extension for an Incomplete (IN) status for my BIOL-537 honours thesis course until the end of April 2022 after which I would like to have my final grade reflected on my transcript. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to submit an appeal.
b. Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances
Between August 2020-August 2021, over the height of the pandemic and lockdowns, I experienced serious family circumstances as a member of my immediate family became extremely ill. On the day that my family member was admitted into the hospital (August 24th, 2020) I contacted Student Wellness Services (SWS) to immediately begin receiving counselling as I was heavily impacted.
During the fall 2020 semester I received a short-term accommodation (STAC) form to aid me in completing my schoolwork while I coped with my extenuating circumstances. In mid-March of 2021, my family member??s condition worsened. At this point I became severely impacted. I was given four weeks of medical leave from school (March 18th, 2021 ?? April 18th, 2021). Afterwards, I needed time and counselling to recover. I began seeing Dr. Arunima Khanna, (SWS), on September 10th, 2020, and I continued to see her until June 17th, 2021, at which point I was equipped to continue my recovery on my own with the understanding that I could reach out for additional counselling if I needed it.
b.1 Why this course only?
I managed to complete two of my classes in the winter 2021 semester with accommodations for my extenuating circumstances (ANSH 102, and GLPH 471) as they both had lighter workloads. I needed additional time to write my final exam for my PHARM 100 class and to finish my BIOL 537 honours thesis course. I received a formal IN status for my PHARM 100 class and verbal approval for an extension on my BIOL-537 course from my thesis professors Dr. Friesen and Dr. Birt. I completed PHARM 100 at the end of August 2021, but I was unable to finish my BIOL 537 honours thesis. My thesis is equivalent to 12 credits (4 course equivalents) and requires large volumes of research, readings, and data analysis. It requires a high workload capacity that was not in my best interest at the time. My professors, Dr. Friesen, Dr. Birt, and I, agreed verbally to allow me to continue to work at my own pace to allow for adequate time to recover.
b.2 When can you finish the course?
I have recovered and feel capable to finish my BIOL-537 course by the end of April 2022.
c. Future Plans
At this point, February 2022, it has been nearly one year since the peak of my extenuating circumstances. During the past year, I have made consistent and concerted effort into applying all the practices I have learned while undergoing counselling to aid in my recovery. I now utilize several of these adaptive coping strategies daily to ensure my wellness long-term. They will help me to meet my academic goals and finish my thesis following this timeline. As I have recovered now to my baseline and have a strong grasp on a wide array of adaptive coping strategies, I am confident that I can complete my thesis by the end of this semester and achieve a strong grade.
d. Additional Information
I am interested in attending medical school and pursing my goal to become a physician. An extension on an IN status for my BIOL-537 course is necessary to help me achieve this goal. Thank you sincerely for considering my appeal. Please let me know if you have any questions and would like to meet with me.
Sincerely,
Miriam John
BScH (Biology)?? 22
To: Faculty of Arts and Science: Office of Academic Appeals: Appeals to the Associate Deans (Academic)
Dear Dr. Atkinson and Dr. Stephenson,
a. The Request
My name is Miriam John, and I am a current 5th year BScH (Biology) student. I am appealing for an extension for an Incomplete (IN) status for my BIOL-537 honours thesis course until the end of April 2022 after which I would like to have my final grade reflected on my transcript. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to submit an appeal.
b. Explanation of Extenuating Circumstances
Between August 2020-August 2021, over the height of the pandemic and lockdowns, I experienced serious family circumstances as a member of my immediate family became extremely ill. On the day that my family member was admitted into the hospital (August 24th, 2020) I contacted Student Wellness Services (SWS) to immediately begin receiving counselling as I was heavily impacted.
During the fall 2020 semester I received a short-term accommodation (STAC) form to aid me in completing my schoolwork while I coped with my extenuating circumstances. In mid-March of 2021, my family member??s condition worsened. At this point I became severely impacted. I was given four weeks of medical leave from school (March 18th, 2021 ?? April 18th, 2021). Afterwards, I needed time and counselling to recover. I began seeing Dr. Arunima Khanna, (SWS), on September 10th, 2020, and I continued to see her until June 17th, 2021, at which point I was equipped to continue my recovery on my own with the understanding that I could reach out for additional counselling if I needed it.
b.1 Why this course only?
I managed to complete two of my classes in the winter 2021 semester with accommodations for my extenuating circumstances (ANSH 102, and GLPH 471) as they both had lighter workloads. I needed additional time to write my final exam for my PHARM 100 class and to finish my BIOL 537 honours thesis course. I received a formal IN status for my PHARM 100 class and verbal approval for an extension on my BIOL-537 course from my thesis professors Dr. Friesen and Dr. Birt. I completed PHARM 100 at the end of August 2021, but I was unable to finish my BIOL 537 honours thesis. My thesis is equivalent to 12 credits (4 course equivalents) and requires large volumes of research, readings, and data analysis. It requires a high workload capacity that was not in my best interest at the time. My professors, Dr. Friesen, Dr. Birt, and I, agreed verbally to allow me to continue to work at my own pace to allow for adequate time to recover.
b.2 When can you finish the course?
I have recovered and feel capable to finish my BIOL-537 course by the end of April 2022.
c. Future Plans
At this point, February 2022, it has been nearly one year since the peak of my extenuating circumstances. During the past year, I have made consistent and concerted effort into applying all the practices I have learned while undergoing counselling to aid in my recovery. I now utilize several of these adaptive coping strategies daily to ensure my wellness long-term. They will help me to meet my academic goals and finish my thesis following this timeline. As I have recovered now to my baseline and have a strong grasp on a wide array of adaptive coping strategies, I am confident that I can complete my thesis by the end of this semester and achieve a strong grade.
d. Additional Information
I am interested in attending medical school and pursing my goal to become a physician. An extension on an IN status for my BIOL-537 course is necessary to help me achieve this goal. Thank you sincerely for considering my appeal. Please let me know if you have any questions and would like to meet with me.
Sincerely,
Miriam John
BScH (Biology)?? 22