Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 273
Submitted: July 9, 2014 at 8:41:02 PM
First Name: Matthew
Last Name: Bachan
Student Number: 10022175
Email: 1mzb@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: Geography
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To whom it mat concern,
My name is Matthew Bachan and I am enrolled in the general geography program at Queen's. I am very saddened to have to be writing this letter and more so for the reasons for which I have to write it.
I am humbly asking for an extension on the 21 days to file my appeal for withdrawal from Queen¿¿s University.
I am late with filing my appeal as I have not been able to access my student portal, and because of that, I was not aware that my grades were at such a low average.
The reason that it has taken me this long to respond is because I had a series of mishaps occur one after the next.
At the end of the semester, I was locked out of my student portal as fees were still owing, and I was not able to access my student portal to see my grades, hence I was not, and still am not aware of what my current grades are for any of my courses.
My first goal for the summer was to find a job, to clear off the balance, whilst simultaneously trying to find a place to live.
I had a reoccurrence of the illness I was struck with at Queen¿¿s this past semester when I returned to Toronto. My body began swelling up again, and I had high fever. Upon visiting the Doctor, I was sent immediately to the Mt. Sinai Hospital emergency room, where I was told that I had hemorrhaging in my wrist. I had to undergo an immediate surgical procedure to drain the extra fluid my body was retaining because of the virus in my system, and was given a heavier prescription of antibiotics than the ones I was given in Kingston during the school year.
I was very ill during this time, and immediately following; I was faced with the situation of having nowhere to live and no job. My mom had lost her job in Toronto; earlier in the year, and she was forced to move into a place that did not allow for me to stay.
I stayed with friends, while desperately looking for a job, to be able to survive throughout the summer. While doing that I was looking for a job desperately to help my mom out with my Kingston rent. All of my time and resources this summer has been to help my mom stay afloat.
All of this was going on, while having the additional pressure of trying to find a way to clear off the amount owing, thereby enabling me to have access to my student portal, I neglected to check my email.
I see that I have been asked to withdraw from Queen¿¿s for the following school year. I would like the opportunity to appeal the decision, but after speaking with someone today from the faculty of Arts and Science office I was told that I must ask for permission to appeal as the 21 days have passed and I must submit another appeal letter before actually appealing my withdrawal.
Finally, when my mom and I were able to get the money to pay the school, I called today to make inquiries about my plan for next year, the lady on the phone informed me that I was being asked to withdraw from Queen¿¿s and that the deadline to appeal had passed.
I take full responsibility for not checking my email, but I humbly ask for you to understand that it was because my circumstances were extenuating and not because of disregard for Queen¿¿s University and its policies.
My mother has raised me as a single parent, she has worked very hard and has sacrificed her life for me to be able to attend Queens University, and I ask you kindly to give me the opportunity to appeal so that I can continue to do so.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Matthew Bachan
My name is Matthew Bachan and I am enrolled in the general geography program at Queen's. I am very saddened to have to be writing this letter and more so for the reasons for which I have to write it.
I am humbly asking for an extension on the 21 days to file my appeal for withdrawal from Queen¿¿s University.
I am late with filing my appeal as I have not been able to access my student portal, and because of that, I was not aware that my grades were at such a low average.
The reason that it has taken me this long to respond is because I had a series of mishaps occur one after the next.
At the end of the semester, I was locked out of my student portal as fees were still owing, and I was not able to access my student portal to see my grades, hence I was not, and still am not aware of what my current grades are for any of my courses.
My first goal for the summer was to find a job, to clear off the balance, whilst simultaneously trying to find a place to live.
I had a reoccurrence of the illness I was struck with at Queen¿¿s this past semester when I returned to Toronto. My body began swelling up again, and I had high fever. Upon visiting the Doctor, I was sent immediately to the Mt. Sinai Hospital emergency room, where I was told that I had hemorrhaging in my wrist. I had to undergo an immediate surgical procedure to drain the extra fluid my body was retaining because of the virus in my system, and was given a heavier prescription of antibiotics than the ones I was given in Kingston during the school year.
I was very ill during this time, and immediately following; I was faced with the situation of having nowhere to live and no job. My mom had lost her job in Toronto; earlier in the year, and she was forced to move into a place that did not allow for me to stay.
I stayed with friends, while desperately looking for a job, to be able to survive throughout the summer. While doing that I was looking for a job desperately to help my mom out with my Kingston rent. All of my time and resources this summer has been to help my mom stay afloat.
All of this was going on, while having the additional pressure of trying to find a way to clear off the amount owing, thereby enabling me to have access to my student portal, I neglected to check my email.
I see that I have been asked to withdraw from Queen¿¿s for the following school year. I would like the opportunity to appeal the decision, but after speaking with someone today from the faculty of Arts and Science office I was told that I must ask for permission to appeal as the 21 days have passed and I must submit another appeal letter before actually appealing my withdrawal.
Finally, when my mom and I were able to get the money to pay the school, I called today to make inquiries about my plan for next year, the lady on the phone informed me that I was being asked to withdraw from Queen¿¿s and that the deadline to appeal had passed.
I take full responsibility for not checking my email, but I humbly ask for you to understand that it was because my circumstances were extenuating and not because of disregard for Queen¿¿s University and its policies.
My mother has raised me as a single parent, she has worked very hard and has sacrificed her life for me to be able to attend Queens University, and I ask you kindly to give me the opportunity to appeal so that I can continue to do so.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Matthew Bachan
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Letter from Doctor
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 273
Relevant Petition: 273
First Name: Matthew
Last Name: Bachan
Student Number: 10022175
Email: 1mzb@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: Geography
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for a minimum of three years
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To whom it may concern,
I am writing this appeal as a continuation of my last appeal concerning the 21 day appeal rule. I am now requesting that you please waive my requirement to withdraw from Queen¿¿s University for one year based on the grounds that I was struck with an illness at the end of the winter 2014 semester.
About 3 weeks before the exam period was underway, I had a severe infection of the lymph nodes also known as ¿mono¿¿ leading me to be bedridden for weeks to come. I had high fevers, hallucinations, pain, and drastic swelling to my neck and face.
When I realized that my neck started swelling up, my first course of action was to get a medical opinion of what was happening to my body and so I made a trip to the campus clinic. The doctor there was the one who told that I caught some sort of virus, I remember him telling me the severity of my swelling and so prescribed me a strong set of antibiotics.
About two days later I noticed that the pain had not subsided, chewing and swallowing became unbearable and the swelling from my neck and jaw had spread all over my face- I looked like a completely different person. That day I went to see the La Salle clinic once again, but they were closed on weekends and so I went to the local walk-in clinic on Princess Street. The doctor there told me that I was most likely allergic to the prescription that the previous doctor gave me and I should stop taking that antibiotic. The new prescription I was given was for 20 days and it was a stronger dosage than the previous medication.
As all of the was happening, exams were around the corner and I started to panic, my judgment at the time told me that I should start studying for my exams even though I had missed so much class. I thought it would be best to catch up on my own even though I felt weak and tired from all of the prescription drugs I had been taking.
I began studying for my first exam which was GPHY 247 with just days before the exam. I somehow mixed up the days of my exam by one day, thinking it was the following day it was actually on that same day. My body and mind were so fatigued I made a mental error. The moment I realized this I contacted the instructor, Professor Harrington telling him my situation but also informing him that I could provide documentation of my illness. Unfortunately he was unable to do anything about this once I missed the exam, however he did redirect me to the University Appeals webpage.
At this point I was in a frantic state of mind because of my illness, the fact that I had just missed an exam, and because I had 3 other exams to worry about. I genuinely thought that my best option was to put my head down and focus on the upcoming exams ahead of me. It was my full intention to take care of my missed exam at the end of this period, my rationale was that if I went through with all of my other exams and told the school about my sickness after that I would be able to do a makeup exam in the summer. However matters became complicated when I was struck with a second illness at the end of the exam period which was somehow related to the previous incident.
It was not my intention to disregard the school¿¿s policy on academic performance. I knew at the beginning of that school year that I was placed on academic probation and I also knew that there was a possibility that I may have been asked to leave for a year but I really was working very hard to get myself out of that slump. I even met with Professor Betsy Donald to outline a plan that would get me to where I need to be.
For many students, Queen¿¿s is like a second home, but for me in a lot more ways Queen¿¿s is my only home- I migrated from couch to couch this summer and it made me appreciate the opportunity that I have been given. I am asking to be put on part-time academic probation and be given a second chance. I want to prove to the school and myself that I can excel in my academics. I love everything about Queen¿¿s, and I still would like to contribute to the Queen¿¿s community as a student enrolled in the 2014-2015 school year.
Thank you for reading my letter,
Kindest Regards,
Matthew Zachary Bachan
Queen¿¿s University
Class of 2015
I am writing this appeal as a continuation of my last appeal concerning the 21 day appeal rule. I am now requesting that you please waive my requirement to withdraw from Queen¿¿s University for one year based on the grounds that I was struck with an illness at the end of the winter 2014 semester.
About 3 weeks before the exam period was underway, I had a severe infection of the lymph nodes also known as ¿mono¿¿ leading me to be bedridden for weeks to come. I had high fevers, hallucinations, pain, and drastic swelling to my neck and face.
When I realized that my neck started swelling up, my first course of action was to get a medical opinion of what was happening to my body and so I made a trip to the campus clinic. The doctor there was the one who told that I caught some sort of virus, I remember him telling me the severity of my swelling and so prescribed me a strong set of antibiotics.
About two days later I noticed that the pain had not subsided, chewing and swallowing became unbearable and the swelling from my neck and jaw had spread all over my face- I looked like a completely different person. That day I went to see the La Salle clinic once again, but they were closed on weekends and so I went to the local walk-in clinic on Princess Street. The doctor there told me that I was most likely allergic to the prescription that the previous doctor gave me and I should stop taking that antibiotic. The new prescription I was given was for 20 days and it was a stronger dosage than the previous medication.
As all of the was happening, exams were around the corner and I started to panic, my judgment at the time told me that I should start studying for my exams even though I had missed so much class. I thought it would be best to catch up on my own even though I felt weak and tired from all of the prescription drugs I had been taking.
I began studying for my first exam which was GPHY 247 with just days before the exam. I somehow mixed up the days of my exam by one day, thinking it was the following day it was actually on that same day. My body and mind were so fatigued I made a mental error. The moment I realized this I contacted the instructor, Professor Harrington telling him my situation but also informing him that I could provide documentation of my illness. Unfortunately he was unable to do anything about this once I missed the exam, however he did redirect me to the University Appeals webpage.
At this point I was in a frantic state of mind because of my illness, the fact that I had just missed an exam, and because I had 3 other exams to worry about. I genuinely thought that my best option was to put my head down and focus on the upcoming exams ahead of me. It was my full intention to take care of my missed exam at the end of this period, my rationale was that if I went through with all of my other exams and told the school about my sickness after that I would be able to do a makeup exam in the summer. However matters became complicated when I was struck with a second illness at the end of the exam period which was somehow related to the previous incident.
It was not my intention to disregard the school¿¿s policy on academic performance. I knew at the beginning of that school year that I was placed on academic probation and I also knew that there was a possibility that I may have been asked to leave for a year but I really was working very hard to get myself out of that slump. I even met with Professor Betsy Donald to outline a plan that would get me to where I need to be.
For many students, Queen¿¿s is like a second home, but for me in a lot more ways Queen¿¿s is my only home- I migrated from couch to couch this summer and it made me appreciate the opportunity that I have been given. I am asking to be put on part-time academic probation and be given a second chance. I want to prove to the school and myself that I can excel in my academics. I love everything about Queen¿¿s, and I still would like to contribute to the Queen¿¿s community as a student enrolled in the 2014-2015 school year.
Thank you for reading my letter,
Kindest Regards,
Matthew Zachary Bachan
Queen¿¿s University
Class of 2015
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: My first plan of action is to take a way lighter course, because I am involved with a lot of extra-curricular activities I tend to internalize a lot of my stress and so I think 9.0 credits is suitable for the first semester and depending on how I handle that, maybe increase it to 12.0 credits in the second semester.
Secondly, I think it would be beneficial for me to meet with a personal counsellor, as I mentioned before when I get stressed out I tend to internalize my feelings of anxiety and stress and it does not end well. If I could talk with someone I feel like it would be a very helpful resource.
Thirdly, I realized that a part of my poor academic performance was because I was in a program that I was not 100 passionate about. Like many young people I struggled with making up my mind and picking majors. After a lot of reflection I have come to the realization that I am very passionate about becoming involved in health care, and so I would like to switch my plan to Health Studies major. I also intend to retake some course that I have failed, I am more motivated to repeat these classes and achieve grades that I know I am capable of.
Secondly, I think it would be beneficial for me to meet with a personal counsellor, as I mentioned before when I get stressed out I tend to internalize my feelings of anxiety and stress and it does not end well. If I could talk with someone I feel like it would be a very helpful resource.
Thirdly, I realized that a part of my poor academic performance was because I was in a program that I was not 100 passionate about. Like many young people I struggled with making up my mind and picking majors. After a lot of reflection I have come to the realization that I am very passionate about becoming involved in health care, and so I would like to switch my plan to Health Studies major. I also intend to retake some course that I have failed, I am more motivated to repeat these classes and achieve grades that I know I am capable of.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Doctor's note from Lesalle Clinic
History
Originally submitted July 9, 2014 at 8:41:02 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Prepared for Review | Carrie Roosenmaalen | 2014-07-10 8:00:34 AM | |
| status | N/A | Prepared for Review | Incomplete | waiting on documentation | Haley Everson | 2014-07-15 3:45:51 PM |
| status | N/A | Incomplete | In Review | Haley Everson | 2014-07-31 10:31:55 AM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Denied | Haley Everson | 2014-08-05 9:48:24 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | J. Hugh Horton, Ph.D. | Haley Everson | 2014-08-05 9:48:24 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Haley Everson | 2014-08-05 9:48:43 AM | |
| status | N/A | Denied | Granted | Granted - decision overturned by BOS | Haley Everson | 2014-09-24 8:52:28 AM |