Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I apologize in advance for the length of this submission but after months of trying to seek a resolution, and given the gravity of the impacts I’m facing, I’ve been advised that I should include a complete and thorough overview of the issues and impacts.


INTRODUCTION:

I am a second-year Life Sciences student, Alberta resident, enrolled in in-person Physiology 216 (PHGY) under Dr. Nicolle Domnik. I am requesting academic resolution regarding completion of a deferred mid-term examination in this course, the original having been set for Feb 10, 2025 while I had a long-term academic consideration granted Feb 9 for the period of Feb 10-17.

At this submission, after months attempting to find resolution, I have been told I must write the deferred exam in person either May 12,2025 or (if successful with extension petitions) sometime late January 2026. I am unable to attend either of these dates due to Queen’s education-related pre-existing conflicts.

Specifically, I am requesting an Aegrotat Grade for the course. While I am amenable to a number of resolutions (and have attempted many through multiple faculty members and administrative personnel for months), for the purposes of this petition, an Aegrotat Grade is a reasonable and fair outcome given the issues, impasses and circumstances outlined below.

I’m happy to accommodate my instructor, faculty staff, Queen’s administration, even the TA strike to find a resolution recognizing my conflicts exist because I am making commitments to my learning and Queen’s brand, student body, knowledge, and reputation in local and international communities.

I recognize the influx of emails and academic pressures during this time may have been challenging for my professor due to the TA strike. However, I believe my academic progress and access to necessary accommodations should not be compromised as a result. At times there were 2-3 week gaps in communication while I tried working to resolve this issue. While the current lack of resources is difficult for Queen’s and its professors, it is also impacting students in ways like mine, that you aren’t seeing. In many cases I’m more concerned about the strikes and lack of resources leaving me unprepared for the real challenges to come than the marks I’m receiving. Education takes time, effort, involvement, commitment and mentorship. I’m holding up my end.

I have paid my own way through hard work leading to some small savings, scholarships for my performance, living frugally, and loans. I didn’t get gifted four years to mess around, you'll know what that means vs. less committed students asking for the same consideration. This does magnify the financial impacts of the decisions I’m being forced to make in the absence of your intervention.


BACKGROUND:

I was fully prepared to write the February 10, 2025 exam but for extenuating circumstances beyond my control. On February 9, 2025 I was granted a long-term academic consideration covering February 10 to 17, 2025. I immediately contacted my instructor, out of courtesy, and to understand both the options available and the impact of having had to miss the mid-term.

Initial advice was that deferred assessments for PHGY 216 midterms would take place following the end of the April final examination period which the Queen’s calendar (https://www.queensu.ca/registrar/key-dates) lists as ending April 23, 2025. Perhaps naively, having not had to defer anything previously, I thought a mid-term (I have several friends going through that right now) would be before the end of winter term, April 30. At the time though I also saw the same calendar indicating winter deferred exams being May 15-18. This calendar notes being applicable to both Arts and Science as well as Health Sciences faculties so should stand as the only source students need to rely on for planning that has to take place well in advance of those dates.

Shortly thereafter, my instructor advised that the deferred mid-term for the course had been set for May 12, 2025. This falls outside of the published Queen’s dates and created a significant conflict for me, leading me to have to start exploring if other options, such as other dates or an on-line proctored exam, existed.

Following months of near daily effort including the period covering my final exams, an extreme impact on my stress levels and time availability, utilizing all the (often confused and conflicting) Queen’s resources available, and ending up feeling unsupported, overwhelmed and almost demonized for something outside my control, I was informed the only option that would not have an impact on my academic standing is to write the PHGY 216 midterm May 12, 2025, in person.

A later date of January 2026 may be possible if appeals and extensions were granted but this date would entail academic record impacts as detailed later.

While I’ve been informed dates beyond January 2026 are not acceptable to the Health Science Faculty, they may still be possible through the appeals process, potentially leaving May 2026 or January 2027 alternatives to write in person.

Only this single item for this single course was directly impacted by the long-term academic consideration I was granted.

I’m not an unprepared student taking advantage of the system to buy time. I know the material well, can write the exam with no notice, or take on any other activity that will demonstrate the learning outcomes required, yet no part of the Queen’s process seems able to find a solution due to differences in policy, procedure, and staffing availability due to the TA strike.

I have consistently been an active and outstanding part of Queen’s academic, sports, advocacy and volunteer communities. I was Dean’s List for 23–24, on track for a higher GPA in 24-25 (3.85 Fall 24), while competing as a varsity athlete, being on the executive for Queen’s Medical Brigades, volunteering as an ASUS orientation leader, weekly volunteering in the adult mental health unit at Providence Care, as well as maintaining a key executive role on Queen’s Women in Science and Engineering Club.

I shouldn’t be forced to make the choices administration is forcing on me while I’m doing my absolute best across multiple disciplines. I agree academics must come first, but this is not a case of an academic performance problem.


THE BUILDUP:

In May 2024, I participated as a general member of the Queen’s Medical Brigades trip to Guatemala. Based on my performance and commitment I was invited to join the club’s executive team. In late May 2024, I formally committed to participating in the Greece 2025 brigade as an executive member. As part of these obligations I will be volunteering in Greece from May 3 to May 14, 2025, providing refugees with access to essential healthcare services in underserved communities.

From my perspective participation in the Queen’s Medical Brigade is an extension of my learning, leadership and professional development activities while also contributing to Queen’s reputation internationally. This is on top of the humanitarian goals really at the heart of the brigade. I view my participation as an important component of my long term plans to attend medical school and enter the medical profession. While I receive no credits, the learning and experience are on par with many of my courses.

Flights and travel arrangements for the brigade session were committed to and paid in mid-January, long before any of this dilemma began. Fundraising and donation activities continued through the period of uncertainty regarding a resolution, ending March 25.

While not ideal, my return from the trip on May 14, 2025 is not inconsistent with being able to write an in person exam in the originally (and still) published May 15-18 window. Unfortunately the exam date now set for March 12 creates a direct conflict.

In addition, I have been accepted into the University of Glasgow as a part of the Bilateral Exchange program for the 2025–2026 academic year, a competitive opportunity that I applied for in early January 2025. I have also been awarded the Queen’s Exchange Bursary valued at $4,390. The term abroad will begin early January 2026 and conclude near the end of May 2026. This creates a direct conflict with the secondary make-up exam dates of late January 2026.

Both my participation in Queen’s Medical Brigades and my acceptance into the Bilateral Exchange program represent deliberate efforts to better myself academically, professionally, and personally. These opportunities allow me to gain valuable international experience, enhance my education, and strengthen my preparation for future contributions to healthcare and scientific fields.

The remedial options offered cannot be met without significant educational, financial, career, psychological and reputational damage. In addition, as will be explained below, there is a significant penalty for this not being resolved by August 31, 2025.


MAY 12, 2025 - OPTIONS AND IMPACTS:

The singular option for me to write an in-person exam on May 12, 2025 would be to cancel participation in the medical brigade completely. This would be personally devastating.
Cancelling my participation would have the following impacts:
● The loss of in excess of $2000 of non-refundable travel and accommodation arrangements I have had to contribute towards the cause.
● The loss of $2120 of donations towards my portion of the non-refundable travel and other brigade costs made by donors which would:
○ Betray the spirit of generosity these sponsors have shown both towards me and the humanitarian
outreach of the brigade.
○ Damage the reputation of the brigade and Queen’s with respect to these donors.
○ Damage my personal reputation with these donors, some of whom are potential future employers, let
alone future donors.
● Leave the brigade team short of participants.
● Deprive the brigade team of my leadership.
● Deprive me of the education and field medical experience that will be a differentiating factor for me in:
○ Applications for medical school.
○ Applications for summer employment in medical fields.
○ Applications for bursaries, scholarships and awards.
● Damage my reputation within Queen’s Medical Brigades and through this jeopardize my future leadership opportunities, my future participation potential and by extension, extend many of the same impacts as not participating this year into future years.
● Betray the commitment I have made to the team working on this for a year.
● Leave me feeling embarrassed, distraught, and betrayed by Queen’s when I’m trying to do what is right and make contributions outside of simply attending class.
● Invalidate the sacrifices and additional work I have had to put in to be able to accommodate my role in the brigade for the past 12 months within my educational, varsity sports and other volunteer activities.
● Perhaps most importantly, deprive some members of the refugee community of the care the brigade is there to provide where the number of people we can help is directly related to the number of people we are able to mobilize for the brigade. That could mean dozens of children or mothers denied care. I now know from my experience last year in Guatemala how much difference one person can make to the lives of many, even in a short period of time.

In addition to the impacts above, I would incur costs to attend Kingston though this pales in comparison to the point of being irrelevant, likely less than a month’s rent.
Given the totality of the above, I can not, in good conscience, cancel my participation in this year’s mission.


AUGUST 31 ISSUES:

Given the above conflict, I have been trying for months to get clarity on the situation and find alternative solutions that allow me to complete my obligations. I’ve found the failure to find an alternate solution prior to August 31, 2025 will also have the following compounding impacts:
● Loss of my honours status for the 2024-2025 academic year.
○ No incomplete grades are allowed when qualifying.
● Loss of 24-25 honours would mean not being eligible for an honours status over the entirety of my degree.
● Most likely the loss of honours for my 25-26 year because as you will see below, if a resolution is not found, the next possible timeframe to write would be January 2027, meaning carrying an incomplete grade for my third year as well.
● It would also invalidate the commitment, perseverance and dedication I have continually put forward to maintain this level of performance.
● Honours for each academic year, and for my degree overall, are important distinctions that help me stand out when applying for:
○ Graduate and medical school acceptance.
○ Employment opportunities.
○ Necessary bursaries, scholarships and awards.
○ Competitive enrichment and educational experiences (like the Medical Brigades and overseas
exchanges).
○ Leadership and development opportunities such as my role with Women in Science and Engineering.


RESOLUTIONS EXPLORED:

I’ve attempted to navigate this issue with my professor (with 2-3 week response turnaround times after she was swamped following the TA strike), assistant professor who had no decision making ability, academic advisors, and the offices of two faculties. In this process, by virtue of there being vast policy and procedural differences between faculties, and a lack of clear “jurisdiction” (for lack of a better word) over an Art-Sci student taking a Health-Sci course (despite it being a requirement in my program), there have been no options other than:

● Must write in person because you were signed up for in person.
○ Health Science policy that Art-Sci indicated flexibility on.
○ This is despite the same professor providing the same course and same exam online.
● Must write during a defined deferred exam period.
○ This despite there potentially being in person and on-line exams available during summer 2025 that could solve the issue.

I have explored options (many suggested by Art-Sci advisors as ways they would or have solved the issue) to:
● Write in person at a different date with a TA present. No resources. Denied
● Write on-line at any time, existing or special. Policy. Denied.
● Perform an assignment or extra work to demonstrate knowledge. Denied.

Ultimately it feels like I’m alone trying to create solutions against a brick wall.

Any of these would solve the fundamental issue of having the course complete and a mark entered by August 31, 2025 and without having to destroy my credibility by cancelling the medical brigade trip.

Late April, amid final exams, I was fortunate to find my way to Pamela Briand, Academic Consideration Manager for the Faculty of Arts and Science. In our meeting she asked about options exactly like those above, to which I indicated willingness, and which she indicated were sometimes options at her disposal within Art-Sci. She had an understanding of what was at stake by virtue of our conversation and agreed to contact her counterpart in the Health-Sci faculty. So for a brief period there was hope.

The response from Health-Sci was that they had their own policies (as above) and would not deviate.

Not that there aren’t apparent issues within these policies. With my instructor saying yes, she has an exam but it can’t be administered unless the exam group sets it and the exam group saying they can’t administer an exam unless the professor sets it. So I’m the ping pong ball in the middle of administrative confusion and dodging of responsibility, likely all in the midst of a resource shortage.

In the end, today, I’m stuck with:
● Cancel brigade - massive impacts as above - I can’t. Destructive for no reason.
● Therefore attend brigade - but if no resolution before Aug 31:
○ Impacts as noted wrt to honours. Destructive for no reason.
● No intermediate option exists per instructor and Heath-Sci faculty
○ Must then write late Jan 2026.


JANUARY 2026 OPTIONS:

If sanity doesn’t prevail, I’ll be provided with another deferred exam week some 9 to 10 months later, in late January 2026. This is in direct conflict with my approved bilateral exchange. I will have already lost honours for 24/25 and my overall degree.

This exam will fall after the date I must be on site to begin my new semester in Glasgow, especially considering my need to be there to set up accommodation and be prepared to start foreign studies. At this point I would be ridiculously faced with the following options:


Cancel my exchange. Dean - this can’t be right?:
● I can’t comprehend a system that offers exchange, makes it subject to application and competition of the best of the best, and would force it to be canceled by the student for a day in Kingston for a second year course minor exam that Queen’s wouldn’t somehow accommodate. In that case Queen’s has lost the plot.
● I’ve covered some of the reputational, experiential and educational benefits of this exchange above. Akin in many respects to the Brigade experience but:
○ I will bring back international education method experience to my fellow Queen’s students
○ I will bring back a set of knowledge to share with both students and instructors.
● Queen’s admin has written the book on why students should knock ourselves out to be qualified to go on this. I applied. I qualified for my top picks while many of my best compatriots were denied. I am invested, I will bring those learnings home to the fourth year Queen’s student community, and all my other endeavors.
○ Cancelling the exchange would mean the loss of all of these benefits.
● Cancellation would also mean loss of the Queen’s Exchange Bursary valued at $4,390. Per the bursary conditions, my continued eligibility requires active participation in the formal exchange program, and if I were unable to fulfill this commitment, the full bursary amount would be rescinded.
● Loss of $200 deposit.


Return to Kingston late January:
● While establishing myself on a new continent and during the first days of a different educational system:
○ Travelling to Kingston in this period for a 2-hour mid-term would heavily disrupt my foreign learning semester.
○ It may even have an impact on the marks I receive during my exchange as I will have no control over the date of travel, potentially having to miss gradable activities in Glasgow.
● There is extensive cost to an additional international trip.
○ Likely to exceed $2500 in flights alone. Again, I would have no option to choose the dates I would need to travel.
■ I can not afford this additional expense.
○ Accommodation in Kingston would have to be purchased as I will have sublet my own room.
○ The return trip would essentially use the majority of the bursary funds which made this exchange possible for me.
○ Ultimately, for financial reasons, a return trip could make the exchange unfeasible and effectively require a cancellation.


SUBSEQUENT OPTIONS AND IMPACTS:

In some cases I’m told if I petition, then petition to extend, then petition to extend again, there may be options to write:
● May of 2026
○ This is not possible due to the length of my exchange semester which extends to the end of May 2026.
○ Return travel to Kingston would likely be during my final exam period so is not academically possible, regardless of the unaffordable cost.
● January of 2027
○ This would mean writing a midterm for a second year course nearly two years after having studied the material and only several months before my expected graduation.
○ This outcome is completely unfair due to the timeframe and would not fairly or accurately reflect my knowledge and preparation for the Winter 2025 term.
○ It will also have immense professional, economic and reputational impacts.
■ Loss of honours for 2nd year, 3rd year and my degree overall.
■ I will have already had to make medical school applications with an incomplete transcript and without honours.
■ Summer employment applications will be compromised unfairly without honours.


COURSE STATUS AND AEGROTAT QUALIFICATION:

Throughout this situation, I have remained an engaged and active student. Although PHGY 216 is also offered as a fully online course, with the same midterm delivered remotely in a proctored format to hundreds of students each term, I deliberately chose to enroll in the in-person offering to better engage with the material and the learning community. I attended weekly in-person tutorials on Monday evenings from 6:30-8:30 PM to deepen my understanding of the course content. Had I wished, I could have taken PHGY 216 fully online, but I made the intentional decision to prioritize an in-person learning experience and this is ultimately driving this debacle. Health Sciences refuses to allow an in-person student to write an exam remotely.

The material assessed on the midterm pertains solely to the first six weeks of the course, covering content from January to early February 2025. I have completed all of the course requirements for PHGY 216 , with only the midterm outstanding due to circumstances beyond my control.

At present I have outstanding marks in the course demonstrating I understand the material. I was just as prepared in advance of the midterm.
Course component Mark Original Weight Revised Weight

In-class Work 100% 10% 11.11%
Assignment 1 88.86% 10% 11.11%
Assignment 2 10% 0%
- Cancelled due to TA strike
Mid Term TBD 35% 38.89%
Final 81.67% 35% 38.89%


I have completed 61.1% of the course to date, exceeding the 60% requirement to qualify for an Aegrotat grade. An Aegrotat Grade simply averaging the mid-term into the other marks would result in 86.31% overall for the course.


CONCLUSION:
I have included all relevant supporting documentation, including my exchange acceptance letter, proof of payment, confirmation of bursary funding, and medical brigade volunteer acceptance. The supporting documents provided verify the timeline and impact of the extenuating circumstances outlined in this petition.

Given the current stance of the Health Science Faculty, an Aegrotat Grade is the only fair resolution:
● The complete lack of options to accommodate my unique situation.
● Queen’s faculty communication and coordination issues.
● The makeup exam falling outside the published schedule.
● The significant impact to my honours status likely to ensue.
● The severe, almost punishment-like financial, reputational, academic and psychological impacts detailed herein.

Please help me find sensible common ground to stop the confusion and devastating impacts I’m facing as one of your best-rounded students and Queen’s ambassadors.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I remain fully committed to completing the outstanding academic requirements for Physiology 216 in a timely and appropriate manner if needed, or to putting this behind me through an Aegrotat Grade being awarded.

Sincerely,
Ella Purdie (20390999)

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