Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dr. Jenn Stephenson,

My name is Elle Gaetan and I am a 2023-24 Bader con-ed student. I am petitioning to drop STAM 200 (Fall 2023), MATH 121 (Fall 2023/Winter 2024), CISC 121 (Winter 2024), and CISC 102 (Winter 2024), and for aegrotat standing in ENGL 100 (Fall 2023/Winter 2024).

I applied to the Queen’s University’s Bader College Concurrent Education program in December 2022, and was accepted in January 2023. Because my mother is a British citizen, I found that I was also considered one - even without any documentation. In mid-April, I applied to get my UK passport, and on April 30, I was told to send my documents to the UK which were delivered in May. I was then contacted again by the HMPO in June about needing a long form birth certificate, which I did not have. I had sent them my short form birth certificate without realizing that it was the wrong one. I submitted a request to get a new long form birth certificate and was given a timeline of 6-8 weeks. During this time, I was informed by the HMPO that if I did not send the correct documents by July 26, my passport application would be withdrawn. I made many phone calls to the HMPO during this time to see if there was anything that could be done to extend this period, but was told there was nothing I could do except hope that it comes and to start a new application if it does not. On July 16, my application was withdrawn, as I still had not received my long form birth certificate. On August 9, I submitted a new passport application as instructed by the HMPO agents on the phone. After getting my documents transferred from my withdrawn application to my new one, the HMPO then requested my parents' marriage certificate. I called HMPO multiple times until September when I got in touch with an Overseas Team of the HMPO through email. On September 19, I received an email from that team letting me know that because they had my mother’s birth certificate, my UK passport would be sent to me shortly. I got confirmation that my passport was printed on September 20 and sent to Canada. I received my passport on September 22 and was on a flight to Bader the next day.

On November 13, 2023, Bader College was announced unsafe due to structural issues that required immediate repairs. The castle was officially closed and all academic programming was moved online until the end of the semester, which we would then complete in Kingson. On November 16, when I got to the airport I tried to board the plane with my UK passport but was denied entry to Canada without my Canadian one. Since I was in a rush to arrive at Bader in September, I didn’t have time to wait for my documents to come back to me in the mail, so I left Canada without my Canadian passport. I got emergency clearance and was able to arrive in Canada the next night, November 17. All of my classes for the rest of the term were online.

In January 2024, I moved into Jean Royce Phase 2, Roy/Miller second floor. Upon joining, everyone seemed very welcoming and I thought that I was fitting in great. My main campus issues began around the first month, when I started liking one of my floormates. On February 2, I asked him out and was rejected, which was not the issue. I still wanted to be his friend because I thought we got along well, so I kept hanging around him and others on the floor. I liked his subgroup of friends in Roy/Miller and we would all go to the dining hall together, hang out in their rooms, and play card games. I initially thought that we were friends of some sort, however, until later in the semester I had realized that the way I was being treated was more in line with signs of bullying than friendship. It began with small disturbances, ones that I tried to laugh off or ignore. Over the next few months, all sorts of harassment began and had gotten progressively worse. This included verbal, public and online forms of harassment. I started sleeping at a friend’s house for a couple of nights a week if I knew I had a test or something important the next day as it was the only way I would not be disturbed. When I finally realized how bad this was affecting me, I contacted my don and residence coordinator, and I then moved to Victoria Hall on April 4.

Throughout the year I had to move multiple times, leaving me without a consistent study environment or routine, which made it extremely difficult for me to focus on my studies. Additionally, due to my passport coming at an unexpected time and very last minute, I had been told by one of the Bader recruitment coordinators in Student Affairs that my year at Bader would likely be deferred. Due to this, I experienced a significant emotional decline where a number of my courseworks had not been able to be completed. With starting my first semester at Bader some weeks late, as well as the later transition with classes being online, the difficulty of keeping up with everything had become a greater task than I had anticipated. These disruptions, as well as the harassment in the winter semester, had deeply affected a number of my basic needs. I had developed an inconsistent routine due to everything, which further impacted my ability to complete coursework and get a good amount of sleep. My sleep deprivation, spanning over several weeks, had greatly impacted my concentration and overall well being. Many times throughout both semesters, I found it extremely tedious to get out of bed and was lacking all motivation. I used the student mental health services, including seeing a residence mental health therapist in Victoria Hall, which helped me deal with everything that was happening to me. I am also taking SSRI medication to assist in regulating my mood and emotions.

I did not drop any of my Bader courses despite knowing I would have a late start as I thought that I would be able to catch up with the course work. Many of my Bader classes were full year; I thought that I had plenty of time to make up for what I had missed. When I got to main campus, I did not expect to have more disturbances affecting my academics. I was not aware of the second semester circumstances until it was well past the drop date.

My circumstances throughout the 2023-24 academic year have all been dealt with, and I do not expect them to happen again. My plan is to retake the course that I need for my minor, which is MATH 121. If I am still unable to manage taking a full semester of classes, even without any disturbances, I will seriously consider taking a lighter course load, however, I strongly believe that I will do better throughout the rest of my time at Queen’s University.