Petition Letter
To Whom It May Concern,
I am a second year Applied Economics and Certificate in Business (CIB) student, and I am writing to request a Credit Standing for COMM211 which I took in the fall term of this academic year. I have attached files to my appeal pertaining to all relevant documents, which I reference throughout my letter.
As part of my curriculum under the CIB I am required to maintain a C in all CIB courses. After receiving a D in COMM211 I was asked to withdrawal from the program, and due to extenuating circumstances I appealed this decision. My appeal was granted on March 11th, and when I requested a Credit Standing I was informed that this would require a separate appeal to the Arts and Sciences Office on March 19th. Due to my schedule I was only able to see an academic advisor on April 1st, where I was informed of this process. Due to these circumstances, I ask for your understanding in the delay with my appeal.
In September, I was diagnosed with a severe lung infection, and was prescribed medication, consisting of puffers and antibiotics (Flovent, Ventolin, Clarithromycin-500MG). The side effects of the infection and antibiotics included a violent hacking cough, anxiety, nausea, difficulty breathing, insomnia, and vomiting while coughing. These symptoms are detailed in Document 1, and the doctor's notes at Queen's Urgent Care (Document 4,5). This lung infection began at the end of August 2014, and my symptoms and recovery lasted until December 2014 (Document 1). This infection inhibited my ability to go to class and maintain the academic standards I established in my first year at Queen's (Dean's List & 3.64 GPA), as described by my doctor (Document 1).
My computer was non-functional from September 16th to October 22nd. This was due to me vomiting on the computer on September 16th as a side effect of the antibiotics. As a student who receives computer and extra-time accommodations during exams, my ability to take notes and maintain my grades was impaired by the computer problems, as I resorted to using a seven-year old laptop with no external battery. This meant that while I was able to take notes for accounting online, I was unable to do so in other courses. This caused me to further fall behind in my coursework, leading to me overcompensating on such courses during the final exam period instead of focusing on COMM211.
I was also unable to receive accommodations in September from Queen's Disability Services. I required extra time for all my courses, something not reflected in my original letter of accommodation. Due to the office being fully booked, I was only able to make a follow-up appointment on September 30th.As I was unable to receive updated accommodations, I wrote my first COMM211 quiz without them on September 29th, receiving a grade of 40 after running out of time. As soon as I realized that I needed new accommodations, I booked an appointment. However due to the original advisor who wrote my letter of accommodations being fully booked for the month of September, I was unable to receive the necessary accommodations and my academic performance suffered.
I had difficulty adjusting to the online format of COMM211 due to my learning style. Throughout this period I also had no one from whom to seek advice regarding my situation. The Program Manager for the CIB was not appointed until January 23rd. I believe that had I been able to speak to an advisor, it would have been extremely beneficial in terms of finding solutions to improve my academic performance in COMM211.
On September 7th,while I was sleeping my house was flooded due to actions of one my housemates (Document's 15,16). My landlord threatened my housemates and I with legal action unless the renovations for the flooding were paid, and we received two legal notices in November (Document's 15,16). The flood caused great emotion stress by disrupting my schedule, and exuberating my conditions through the accompanying anxiety. I had to spend countless hours on the phone with my insurance agent and my parents who were out of the country at the time. To further exasperate the situation, I was informed that I would need to find new housing for next year. My current residence required insurance, and I would be unable to obtain it for the following year. This uncertainty and pressure from the lawsuit and the need to find new housing and housemates during exam time was beyond my control. It had a severely detrimental effect on my academic progress in COMM211.
This overall combination of extenuating circumstances caused me to do extremely poorly on all of my final exams. My grade in COMM211 was particularly affected as it was my last exam and was worth 50. After finishing four of my finals, the mental effects of the events leading up to December had caught up and completely exhausted me, limiting my performance. Dr.Pliamm notes this in Document 1 He clearly could not perform well at his academic duties due to medical circumstances.. For many of my courses, I performed well or at a satisfactory level during my midterms. However, the subsequent events following October severely hindered my academic potential, most severely in COMM211.
Thank you for considering my appeal, and please do not hesitate to contact me for any additional information.
Regards,
Vasily Podrez
I am a second year Applied Economics and Certificate in Business (CIB) student, and I am writing to request a Credit Standing for COMM211 which I took in the fall term of this academic year. I have attached files to my appeal pertaining to all relevant documents, which I reference throughout my letter.
As part of my curriculum under the CIB I am required to maintain a C in all CIB courses. After receiving a D in COMM211 I was asked to withdrawal from the program, and due to extenuating circumstances I appealed this decision. My appeal was granted on March 11th, and when I requested a Credit Standing I was informed that this would require a separate appeal to the Arts and Sciences Office on March 19th. Due to my schedule I was only able to see an academic advisor on April 1st, where I was informed of this process. Due to these circumstances, I ask for your understanding in the delay with my appeal.
In September, I was diagnosed with a severe lung infection, and was prescribed medication, consisting of puffers and antibiotics (Flovent, Ventolin, Clarithromycin-500MG). The side effects of the infection and antibiotics included a violent hacking cough, anxiety, nausea, difficulty breathing, insomnia, and vomiting while coughing. These symptoms are detailed in Document 1, and the doctor's notes at Queen's Urgent Care (Document 4,5). This lung infection began at the end of August 2014, and my symptoms and recovery lasted until December 2014 (Document 1). This infection inhibited my ability to go to class and maintain the academic standards I established in my first year at Queen's (Dean's List & 3.64 GPA), as described by my doctor (Document 1).
My computer was non-functional from September 16th to October 22nd. This was due to me vomiting on the computer on September 16th as a side effect of the antibiotics. As a student who receives computer and extra-time accommodations during exams, my ability to take notes and maintain my grades was impaired by the computer problems, as I resorted to using a seven-year old laptop with no external battery. This meant that while I was able to take notes for accounting online, I was unable to do so in other courses. This caused me to further fall behind in my coursework, leading to me overcompensating on such courses during the final exam period instead of focusing on COMM211.
I was also unable to receive accommodations in September from Queen's Disability Services. I required extra time for all my courses, something not reflected in my original letter of accommodation. Due to the office being fully booked, I was only able to make a follow-up appointment on September 30th.As I was unable to receive updated accommodations, I wrote my first COMM211 quiz without them on September 29th, receiving a grade of 40 after running out of time. As soon as I realized that I needed new accommodations, I booked an appointment. However due to the original advisor who wrote my letter of accommodations being fully booked for the month of September, I was unable to receive the necessary accommodations and my academic performance suffered.
I had difficulty adjusting to the online format of COMM211 due to my learning style. Throughout this period I also had no one from whom to seek advice regarding my situation. The Program Manager for the CIB was not appointed until January 23rd. I believe that had I been able to speak to an advisor, it would have been extremely beneficial in terms of finding solutions to improve my academic performance in COMM211.
On September 7th,while I was sleeping my house was flooded due to actions of one my housemates (Document's 15,16). My landlord threatened my housemates and I with legal action unless the renovations for the flooding were paid, and we received two legal notices in November (Document's 15,16). The flood caused great emotion stress by disrupting my schedule, and exuberating my conditions through the accompanying anxiety. I had to spend countless hours on the phone with my insurance agent and my parents who were out of the country at the time. To further exasperate the situation, I was informed that I would need to find new housing for next year. My current residence required insurance, and I would be unable to obtain it for the following year. This uncertainty and pressure from the lawsuit and the need to find new housing and housemates during exam time was beyond my control. It had a severely detrimental effect on my academic progress in COMM211.
This overall combination of extenuating circumstances caused me to do extremely poorly on all of my final exams. My grade in COMM211 was particularly affected as it was my last exam and was worth 50. After finishing four of my finals, the mental effects of the events leading up to December had caught up and completely exhausted me, limiting my performance. Dr.Pliamm notes this in Document 1 He clearly could not perform well at his academic duties due to medical circumstances.. For many of my courses, I performed well or at a satisfactory level during my midterms. However, the subsequent events following October severely hindered my academic potential, most severely in COMM211.
Thank you for considering my appeal, and please do not hesitate to contact me for any additional information.
Regards,
Vasily Podrez