Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 3062
Submitted: February 10, 2017 at 5:26:50 PM
First Name: Hussein
Last Name: Khadr
Student Number: 10187782
Email: 14hgk1@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: N/A
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I, Hussein Gamal Khadr, would like to appeal the 21-day Appeal Deadline. The extenuating circumstances that prevented me from appealing within the deadline play a very close relation as to why I was unable to perform academically within the space of that year.
As I entered my first term of my time at Queen¿¿s I was incredibly terrified and nervous, because of the extenuating circumstances that were beyond my control that came with me. I began the year with a shoulder injury that had prevented me from taking part in any sporting activities which were a fundamental part of my life and an important pull for me in deciding to come to this institute. Due to this circumstance, it had created a psychological challenge that had taken me very long time to overcome. Additionally, within the beginning of my first semester my grandmother was diagnosed with Colon Cancer, and shortly after within the month of November my grandfather had to receive a triple bypass surgery because of a heart attack. Both my grandmother and grandfather played an important role in my life, filling the void of a father. At the age of seven, my father passed of lung cancer and ever since then my two grandparents were there beside my mother to help her raise my three other siblings and I. When my mom would leave for work at 6:30 in the morning they would help get us ready, and when school finished we would go to their home and wait for my mom to finish work.
Therefore, their weight in my life is beyond my control. Moreover, the majority of my classes were mandatory and the information taught was only accessible through class attendance, therefore when it came necessary to return home on a routine basis in an effort to emotionally aid my mother and siblings it had an unfavorable effect on my academic performance. I also had to aid physically around the house to help care for my grandparents when my younger siblings were at school. This continued into the second semester, where it further hindered me psychologically by creating more issues for me to deal with personally as I was unable to open up due to fear of reactions. Furthermore, this leads to both a lack of motivation in attending school and a focus on tending to my grandparents who had nearly past, which I was unprepared to fathom. Likewise, this led into the summer where it hindered me in finding a job because I had to spend the majority of my time supporting my family emotionally and physically. This continued to lead to the disregard of any deadlines within summer and second year due to the continued psychological blows I was experiencing.
The way these affected my courses was because most my courses were mandatory as previously mentioned, which a grade was associated with attendance. More importantly, I was simply terrified of sharing with anyone the circumstances because I was not ready. It also affected me in my courses, because it continued to build psychological issues for me to deal with that forced me to stay in my room. I was left to think and worry what would I do if my grandparents passed and I was away from them not supporting them. I had to purchase many train and bus tickets home to constantly be around them.
However, I have proactively created a plan for myself which I have already begun to implement in my life. To start I switched from economics which was my initial focus, but that was because those who played important roles in my life continued to pressure me into it. Instead, I have switched to something such as history which classes spark more interest, therefore gaining motivation to study and attend class because I enjoy what I¿¿m doing. Not only that, but I have moved forward in seeing an academic advisor who has aided me in figuring out a plan for myself to perform highly academically so that I no longer should worry about staying afloat. Furthermore, the most important step forward is agreeing to meet with a counsellor so that I can begin to discuss the things I have experienced and ways that I can work around it, and by doing so I have realised the high amounts of resources at my disposal that in case an emergency like this ever occur again. I am assured I am not alone in receiving assistance in moving forward. If anything was to occur again I am prepared, as the first student in my family to attend university, deal with these issues and achieve the highest possibilities academically with my education.
I hope that my appeal is considered,
Regards,
Hussein Gamal Khadr
I, Hussein Gamal Khadr, would like to appeal the 21-day Appeal Deadline. The extenuating circumstances that prevented me from appealing within the deadline play a very close relation as to why I was unable to perform academically within the space of that year.
As I entered my first term of my time at Queen¿¿s I was incredibly terrified and nervous, because of the extenuating circumstances that were beyond my control that came with me. I began the year with a shoulder injury that had prevented me from taking part in any sporting activities which were a fundamental part of my life and an important pull for me in deciding to come to this institute. Due to this circumstance, it had created a psychological challenge that had taken me very long time to overcome. Additionally, within the beginning of my first semester my grandmother was diagnosed with Colon Cancer, and shortly after within the month of November my grandfather had to receive a triple bypass surgery because of a heart attack. Both my grandmother and grandfather played an important role in my life, filling the void of a father. At the age of seven, my father passed of lung cancer and ever since then my two grandparents were there beside my mother to help her raise my three other siblings and I. When my mom would leave for work at 6:30 in the morning they would help get us ready, and when school finished we would go to their home and wait for my mom to finish work.
Therefore, their weight in my life is beyond my control. Moreover, the majority of my classes were mandatory and the information taught was only accessible through class attendance, therefore when it came necessary to return home on a routine basis in an effort to emotionally aid my mother and siblings it had an unfavorable effect on my academic performance. I also had to aid physically around the house to help care for my grandparents when my younger siblings were at school. This continued into the second semester, where it further hindered me psychologically by creating more issues for me to deal with personally as I was unable to open up due to fear of reactions. Furthermore, this leads to both a lack of motivation in attending school and a focus on tending to my grandparents who had nearly past, which I was unprepared to fathom. Likewise, this led into the summer where it hindered me in finding a job because I had to spend the majority of my time supporting my family emotionally and physically. This continued to lead to the disregard of any deadlines within summer and second year due to the continued psychological blows I was experiencing.
The way these affected my courses was because most my courses were mandatory as previously mentioned, which a grade was associated with attendance. More importantly, I was simply terrified of sharing with anyone the circumstances because I was not ready. It also affected me in my courses, because it continued to build psychological issues for me to deal with that forced me to stay in my room. I was left to think and worry what would I do if my grandparents passed and I was away from them not supporting them. I had to purchase many train and bus tickets home to constantly be around them.
However, I have proactively created a plan for myself which I have already begun to implement in my life. To start I switched from economics which was my initial focus, but that was because those who played important roles in my life continued to pressure me into it. Instead, I have switched to something such as history which classes spark more interest, therefore gaining motivation to study and attend class because I enjoy what I¿¿m doing. Not only that, but I have moved forward in seeing an academic advisor who has aided me in figuring out a plan for myself to perform highly academically so that I no longer should worry about staying afloat. Furthermore, the most important step forward is agreeing to meet with a counsellor so that I can begin to discuss the things I have experienced and ways that I can work around it, and by doing so I have realised the high amounts of resources at my disposal that in case an emergency like this ever occur again. I am assured I am not alone in receiving assistance in moving forward. If anything was to occur again I am prepared, as the first student in my family to attend university, deal with these issues and achieve the highest possibilities academically with my education.
I hope that my appeal is considered,
Regards,
Hussein Gamal Khadr
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: NO DOC
Document: Hus_LEt.jpeg
Documentation Detail: Letter from Mother
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 3062
Relevant Petition: 3062
First Name: Hussein
Last Name: Khadr
Student Number: 10187782
Email: 14hgk1@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: N/A
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline, Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Code: CLST129
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Dr. Barbara Reeves
Code: ARAB100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Petition Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor's Name: Amira Halabi
Code: SPANP10
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Dr. Johanne Bérnard,
I, Hussein Gamal Khadr, am writing this letter following the receivable of the approval of the 21 or one term deadline. In this letter, I highlight the extenuating circumstances that played a role in my academic decline within the 2015/2016 academic year. The two things I am appealing for are as followed:
i) Drop late (SPANP10 W2016 2015/2016)
ii) Credit Standing (CLST129 2015/2016) (ARAB100 W2016 2015/2016)
In September of 2015, I began my studies at Queen¿¿s as the first person in my family to attend university. The transition was of utmost difficulty as I left home and sustained a significant injury to my acromioclavicular joint when I arrived. A crucial factor in attending Queen¿¿s was the extracurricular athletics that I would be able to participate in, and so this injury leads to the deterioration of my mental health. I am an avid athlete and sports has always acted as my escape from the difficult times I experienced, and so my motivation for daily activities such as to attend class, complete homework, go to practice and engage in social activities declined.
In addition to the anxiety I developed after this injury, I also received upsetting news about two family members only several weeks after arriving at Queen¿¿s. My grandmother Azizi Kadoura was diagnosed with colon cancer and my grandfather Mohammed Daher experienced a life-threating heart attack, which forced him to undergo a triple bypass surgery.
When I was seven, my grandparents stepped in to replace my father who passed from lung cancer. When he passed, he left my unemployed mother with three young children aged seven, five, three, and another yet to be born. This state of shambles that my mother was left in was one of the few things that I remember from childhood, and being told that I was the man of the house and that my family was my responsibility demonstrates the heavy weight that was placed on my shoulders since the early stages of my life. My grandparents¿¿ importance comes from their endless kindness, shown through having us children spend almost every day in their house, helping us get ready for school when my mother had to leave for work at 6:30 AM, or from picking us up from school when my mother was too busy working to put food on the table. They filled the void that my father had left, both emotionally and physically. When the news came that they both had experienced life-threating conditions, it was enough to push me over the edge and take all motivation from me.
This further developed into not being able to leave my room or eat healthy, as nothing was of any relevance to me after learning that I had nearly lost another a parent to cancer. However, it was toughest to see the emotional distress it caused my mother, and so I returned home to Ottawa weekly to support her. My grandparents¿¿ illnesses forced her to take time off from work to care for them, and so my weekends were spent caring for my sisters while my mother focused on my grandparents. I started to experience anxiety and depression-like symptoms more often, as well as sleep deprivation. I felt like I was being torn between two worlds, and I had no idea what to focus on. The thought of losing them sent shivers through my core, and unfortunately by this point school was not my priority. I held the belief that missing class was an inconsequential act when in reality, it was the opposite. Ultimately this situation resulted in losing marks from being absent, missing weeks of content, and the inevitable plummeting of my grades.
Fortunately, I am now headed in the right direction by ensuring that my past mistakes are not repeated. This began by accepting that my mental health was not up to par, and so I met with a doctor who explained to me that the anxiety and depression I had been experiencing was not something to be taken lightly. I also met with an academic advisor and a counselor who were both vital in giving me the resources I needed to get on the path to success.
I am grateful that I have experienced this amount of hardship; I have gained insight, knowledge, and awareness of myself and who I am. I have discovered how I need to approach future difficult situations and I now have the promise of an easier future, with regards to maintaining my mental health. This experience made me realize the importance of my education and reignited my passion for both learning and athletics, which I had thought to be gone. I have no doubts that my academics at Queen¿¿s will go upwards from here.
Thank you for your consideration,
Hussein Gamal Khadr
I, Hussein Gamal Khadr, am writing this letter following the receivable of the approval of the 21 or one term deadline. In this letter, I highlight the extenuating circumstances that played a role in my academic decline within the 2015/2016 academic year. The two things I am appealing for are as followed:
i) Drop late (SPANP10 W2016 2015/2016)
ii) Credit Standing (CLST129 2015/2016) (ARAB100 W2016 2015/2016)
In September of 2015, I began my studies at Queen¿¿s as the first person in my family to attend university. The transition was of utmost difficulty as I left home and sustained a significant injury to my acromioclavicular joint when I arrived. A crucial factor in attending Queen¿¿s was the extracurricular athletics that I would be able to participate in, and so this injury leads to the deterioration of my mental health. I am an avid athlete and sports has always acted as my escape from the difficult times I experienced, and so my motivation for daily activities such as to attend class, complete homework, go to practice and engage in social activities declined.
In addition to the anxiety I developed after this injury, I also received upsetting news about two family members only several weeks after arriving at Queen¿¿s. My grandmother Azizi Kadoura was diagnosed with colon cancer and my grandfather Mohammed Daher experienced a life-threating heart attack, which forced him to undergo a triple bypass surgery.
When I was seven, my grandparents stepped in to replace my father who passed from lung cancer. When he passed, he left my unemployed mother with three young children aged seven, five, three, and another yet to be born. This state of shambles that my mother was left in was one of the few things that I remember from childhood, and being told that I was the man of the house and that my family was my responsibility demonstrates the heavy weight that was placed on my shoulders since the early stages of my life. My grandparents¿¿ importance comes from their endless kindness, shown through having us children spend almost every day in their house, helping us get ready for school when my mother had to leave for work at 6:30 AM, or from picking us up from school when my mother was too busy working to put food on the table. They filled the void that my father had left, both emotionally and physically. When the news came that they both had experienced life-threating conditions, it was enough to push me over the edge and take all motivation from me.
This further developed into not being able to leave my room or eat healthy, as nothing was of any relevance to me after learning that I had nearly lost another a parent to cancer. However, it was toughest to see the emotional distress it caused my mother, and so I returned home to Ottawa weekly to support her. My grandparents¿¿ illnesses forced her to take time off from work to care for them, and so my weekends were spent caring for my sisters while my mother focused on my grandparents. I started to experience anxiety and depression-like symptoms more often, as well as sleep deprivation. I felt like I was being torn between two worlds, and I had no idea what to focus on. The thought of losing them sent shivers through my core, and unfortunately by this point school was not my priority. I held the belief that missing class was an inconsequential act when in reality, it was the opposite. Ultimately this situation resulted in losing marks from being absent, missing weeks of content, and the inevitable plummeting of my grades.
Fortunately, I am now headed in the right direction by ensuring that my past mistakes are not repeated. This began by accepting that my mental health was not up to par, and so I met with a doctor who explained to me that the anxiety and depression I had been experiencing was not something to be taken lightly. I also met with an academic advisor and a counselor who were both vital in giving me the resources I needed to get on the path to success.
I am grateful that I have experienced this amount of hardship; I have gained insight, knowledge, and awareness of myself and who I am. I have discovered how I need to approach future difficult situations and I now have the promise of an easier future, with regards to maintaining my mental health. This experience made me realize the importance of my education and reignited my passion for both learning and athletics, which I had thought to be gone. I have no doubts that my academics at Queen¿¿s will go upwards from here.
Thank you for your consideration,
Hussein Gamal Khadr
Documentation
Professional Letter: Dr. Letter-0.pdf
Document: Hus_LEt-0.jpeg
