Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 1975
Submitted: March 28, 2016 at 8:41:37 PM
First Name: Aristotle
Last Name: Barboutsis
Student Number: 10152405
Email: 14apb2@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: Hist
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Hello,
On November 23rd 2014, my father was struck with a massive brain hemorrhage, which left him in a coma. This was my first year at Queen¿¿s University and my first time living away from home. I could not think of anything but to be there with my father and family. I am the oldest son and have two younger siblings, they along with my mother needed my support and I wasted no time deferring my exams and returning home to be with them. My father¿¿s condition was very serious and the doctors were not able to give us assurances whether he would or even could improve. I returned to Queen¿¿s to try to finish the winter term but I was constantly distracted by what my family was going through without me. I struggled to finish the year without a single day I did not call home for an update as to my father and family¿¿s condition.
When I returned home for the summer, I was determined to spend as much time with my family and in the hospital as I could. I could see that the situation took a toll on my siblings and mother and I saw it my job to try to take away some of the stress that had overwhelmed the throughout this ordeal. Questions not only about the wellbeing of our father passed our minds but also questions about our future. My mother is a stay at home mom who has not worked in a very long time, with my father being the sole breadwinner in the family.
On July 12th 2015, my father passed away. Even though the doctors prepared us for this, we were still rocked when it happened. Losing your father who you depended on and thought would be there for it all is devastating. Trying to work through the grief and come to terms with what had happened was complicated by the numerous questions regarding our future that loomed over our heads. There were many meetings with a lot of confusing jargon that only made things more difficult. We barely had had enough time for ourselves as everyday there was something new to take care of it.
School was not a main focus while back in Toronto but I did receive a letter informing me that I had been placed on academic probation. I sent an appeal to someone at Queen¿¿s regarding my situation. I thought that that was all I needed to do. When I returned to Queen¿¿s University for my second year, I returned without having time to come to terms with what had transpired over the last year and constantly worried for my family¿¿s welfare. Being away from home I felt disconnected from my family and I had troubles, dealing with the emotions brought up trough returning to Queen¿¿s. I neglected to do any sort of follow up as I could barely do any schoolwork to begin with. I was struggling to focus and deal with my emotions. Finally, after long talks with my mother I scheduled a meeting with an academic advisor in order to see what could be done about my poor performance in school where she informed me of my academic probation that I had thought I had dealt with in the summer.
My family was thrusted into a very serious and complex situation that left us all changed. We are still dealing with all the repercussions that have come as a consequence of this. We could not foresee all the difficulties nor could we handle them all. Given the circumstances I am hoping that you will grant me the benefit of this appeal and allow me to put my case forward.
Aristotle Barboutsis
Student Number: 10152405
On November 23rd 2014, my father was struck with a massive brain hemorrhage, which left him in a coma. This was my first year at Queen¿¿s University and my first time living away from home. I could not think of anything but to be there with my father and family. I am the oldest son and have two younger siblings, they along with my mother needed my support and I wasted no time deferring my exams and returning home to be with them. My father¿¿s condition was very serious and the doctors were not able to give us assurances whether he would or even could improve. I returned to Queen¿¿s to try to finish the winter term but I was constantly distracted by what my family was going through without me. I struggled to finish the year without a single day I did not call home for an update as to my father and family¿¿s condition.
When I returned home for the summer, I was determined to spend as much time with my family and in the hospital as I could. I could see that the situation took a toll on my siblings and mother and I saw it my job to try to take away some of the stress that had overwhelmed the throughout this ordeal. Questions not only about the wellbeing of our father passed our minds but also questions about our future. My mother is a stay at home mom who has not worked in a very long time, with my father being the sole breadwinner in the family.
On July 12th 2015, my father passed away. Even though the doctors prepared us for this, we were still rocked when it happened. Losing your father who you depended on and thought would be there for it all is devastating. Trying to work through the grief and come to terms with what had happened was complicated by the numerous questions regarding our future that loomed over our heads. There were many meetings with a lot of confusing jargon that only made things more difficult. We barely had had enough time for ourselves as everyday there was something new to take care of it.
School was not a main focus while back in Toronto but I did receive a letter informing me that I had been placed on academic probation. I sent an appeal to someone at Queen¿¿s regarding my situation. I thought that that was all I needed to do. When I returned to Queen¿¿s University for my second year, I returned without having time to come to terms with what had transpired over the last year and constantly worried for my family¿¿s welfare. Being away from home I felt disconnected from my family and I had troubles, dealing with the emotions brought up trough returning to Queen¿¿s. I neglected to do any sort of follow up as I could barely do any schoolwork to begin with. I was struggling to focus and deal with my emotions. Finally, after long talks with my mother I scheduled a meeting with an academic advisor in order to see what could be done about my poor performance in school where she informed me of my academic probation that I had thought I had dealt with in the summer.
My family was thrusted into a very serious and complex situation that left us all changed. We are still dealing with all the repercussions that have come as a consequence of this. We could not foresee all the difficulties nor could we handle them all. Given the circumstances I am hoping that you will grant me the benefit of this appeal and allow me to put my case forward.
Aristotle Barboutsis
Student Number: 10152405
Documentation
Professional Letter: Death Certificate-0.pdf
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 1975
Relevant Petition: 1975
First Name: Aristotle
Last Name: Barboutsis
Student Number: 10152405
Email: 14apb2@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: HIST
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline, Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses, Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Code: CLST 102
Term: Fall
Year: 2014
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dr. Fabio Colivicchi
Code: PHIL 115
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dr. Nancy Salay
Code: SOCY 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: GPHY 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 206
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 208
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 209
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 243
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 245
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 250
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: HIST 255
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dr. A. D'Elia
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dr. Johanne Bénard
Associate Dean (Studies)
Dear Dr. Bénard,
I am writing this appeal to wave my requirement to withdraw for one year as well to appeal to drop courses past the deadline and to get credit standings in replace of some courses.
On November 23rd 2014, my father suffered a sudden massive brain hemorrhage, which left him in a coma. This was during my first year at Queen¿¿s right before my winter exams. I differed my exams and quickly rushed home. The doctors were very hesitant to tell us if my father¿¿s condition will improve; all they would say was that he had suffered major damage to numerous parts of his brain and that they have done everything they could and it was all up to him now. I stayed with my family at the hospital every day. We were continuously talking to doctors of all specializations to see if there was something that could be done to improve his condition but as the days went by our hope started to fade. Even though I returned to Queen¿¿s my mind was back home, worrying about how my father, mother, and younger siblings were managing. It was an emotional trauma for all of us. Being the oldest I felt responsible for the support of my younger siblings and my mother and I could think of nothing else but to be with them and that weighted heavy on my mind. My lifestyle started to deteriorate, my grades started to drop, and my mental health was poor. I struggled to finish the year and come home to make up for lost time with my dad and to lend support to my family.
I returned home and spent as much time in the hospital with my father as I could. I also tried to take as much of the burden off my mother and siblings. After eight months of struggle, my father passed away June 12th 2015 leaving my family rocked. We could see it coming but a loss of that size is not something a person can be prepared for. My father was the only one who worked in my house and with his passing it brought up a lot of questions pertaining to the future of my family. In one hand, we were grieving for my father and on the other; we were worrying about our financial future. We spent countless hours discussing what our options were with many different groups of people all while planning the funeral for my father. We could not catch a break from all the work that still needed to be done and with that came the lack of closure.
I returned to Queen¿¿s for my second year knowing that things were still up in the air at home. It had not been two months since my father¿¿s passing and I constantly worried about the situation at home and of my mother¿¿s well-being dealing with all this on her own. I spent many hours talking to her trying to support her as much as possible from Kingston. I struggled to work through all my emotions away from my family¿¿s support and with the uncertainty of how things were going to work out for us. This caused a lot of stress and again I started to go downhill both mentally and physically. My grades started to drop which lead to more stress on top of all I already had. This caused a vicious circle that I was unable to weather.
My family was put in a very difficult and traumatic situation that left us scrambling for quite a long time. Slowly we have worked our way back to a good place and I am now able to focus on the future. I have outlined the trials I have gone through and my plans to get back on track. I hope you will see my situation with compassion and grant me my appeal so I can continue my studies as without further interruption.
Sincerely,
Aristotle Barboutsis
10152405
Associate Dean (Studies)
Dear Dr. Bénard,
I am writing this appeal to wave my requirement to withdraw for one year as well to appeal to drop courses past the deadline and to get credit standings in replace of some courses.
On November 23rd 2014, my father suffered a sudden massive brain hemorrhage, which left him in a coma. This was during my first year at Queen¿¿s right before my winter exams. I differed my exams and quickly rushed home. The doctors were very hesitant to tell us if my father¿¿s condition will improve; all they would say was that he had suffered major damage to numerous parts of his brain and that they have done everything they could and it was all up to him now. I stayed with my family at the hospital every day. We were continuously talking to doctors of all specializations to see if there was something that could be done to improve his condition but as the days went by our hope started to fade. Even though I returned to Queen¿¿s my mind was back home, worrying about how my father, mother, and younger siblings were managing. It was an emotional trauma for all of us. Being the oldest I felt responsible for the support of my younger siblings and my mother and I could think of nothing else but to be with them and that weighted heavy on my mind. My lifestyle started to deteriorate, my grades started to drop, and my mental health was poor. I struggled to finish the year and come home to make up for lost time with my dad and to lend support to my family.
I returned home and spent as much time in the hospital with my father as I could. I also tried to take as much of the burden off my mother and siblings. After eight months of struggle, my father passed away June 12th 2015 leaving my family rocked. We could see it coming but a loss of that size is not something a person can be prepared for. My father was the only one who worked in my house and with his passing it brought up a lot of questions pertaining to the future of my family. In one hand, we were grieving for my father and on the other; we were worrying about our financial future. We spent countless hours discussing what our options were with many different groups of people all while planning the funeral for my father. We could not catch a break from all the work that still needed to be done and with that came the lack of closure.
I returned to Queen¿¿s for my second year knowing that things were still up in the air at home. It had not been two months since my father¿¿s passing and I constantly worried about the situation at home and of my mother¿¿s well-being dealing with all this on her own. I spent many hours talking to her trying to support her as much as possible from Kingston. I struggled to work through all my emotions away from my family¿¿s support and with the uncertainty of how things were going to work out for us. This caused a lot of stress and again I started to go downhill both mentally and physically. My grades started to drop which lead to more stress on top of all I already had. This caused a vicious circle that I was unable to weather.
My family was put in a very difficult and traumatic situation that left us scrambling for quite a long time. Slowly we have worked our way back to a good place and I am now able to focus on the future. I have outlined the trials I have gone through and my plans to get back on track. I hope you will see my situation with compassion and grant me my appeal so I can continue my studies as without further interruption.
Sincerely,
Aristotle Barboutsis
10152405
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: After almost a year, we have been able to sort out all our affairs and have been able to secure financial stability. Mentally we are getting stronger and we are in the process of healing. I am taking this summer to relearn and develop the discipline required to achieve academic success that is all the more important to me now. I am confident I will be able to do so with the help and support of my family. I am using this summer to complete courses that will fill in missing credits I have. I plan to go into next fall with a completely new look on school and be able to take a full course load and not let stress derail me. By the winter term I plan to be fully caught up with my credits. I understand the importance of mental discipline in order to achieve academic success and it is important for me to go into next year and to be able to handle my stress. I will meet regularly with an academic advisor and use the support network Queen¿¿s has to offer as well as my family in order to keep my stress levels manageable.
Documentation
Professional Letter: Death Certificate-2.pdf
Professional Letter Detail: My father's death certificate