Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 3162
Submitted: March 23, 2017 at 12:52:51 PM
First Name: Aislinn
Last Name: MacLennan
Student Number: 20002700
Email: 15akm6@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: SOCY
Level of Study: 1
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SPAN 112
Term: Winter
Year: 2017
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: 36 Campbell Crescent
Kingston, ON
K7M 175
March 23rd, 2017
Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen¿¿s University
Kingston, ON
K7L 3N6
Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing to drop SPAN 112 in Winter term of 2017 from my record. I would kindly ask that this class be stricken from my record under the following circumstances:
I would like to detail the two different circumstances which have hindered my performance in this Spanish class. The first of these problems being a situation involving my family. At the end of February my family made it clear to me that they did not think pursuing a university career was wise and insisted I drop-out of Queen¿¿s. My family sees university, specifically a Bachelor of Arts degree, as a very expensive and stressful form of education that offers no specific job opportunities at the time of graduation. During this time, I was very emotionally distraught as my main support system had been abruptly removed from under me. I realize that they had my best interests at heart, but I found the situation extremely stressful and faced extreme anxiety over the stress not only of school, but also from lack of support. The end of February and majority of March has been the busiest time academically for me and I was not putting the proper amount of focus on my studies due to the fact that I felt depressed and unmotivated thinking that I should not be in university and that I did not have what it takes to be a Queen¿¿s student.
Secondly, I have been facing troubling problems with my Spanish professor. After my first Spanish quiz at the beginning of February, which I had not done well on, I went in to talk with my instructor during office hours about a grammatical concept that I did not understand. The professor was not helpful, he told me that he was a professor and not a tutor therefore he could only answer direct questions. This was unhelpful because the concept in general was confusing to me, and therefore I did not have any specific questions to ask. However, after watching many podcasts of different professors explaining these grammatical concepts I believed I then understood and did not consider dropping the course. In the middle of March after seeing my mental health counselor, I realized that I was not only struggling with the situation with my family, but that my Spanish mark was still struggling as well. So I went in to ask my Spanish professor if he had any information about a Spanish tutor who would be willing to help me. My professor did not give me the information I was looking for and instead told me that I understood the grammatical rules but that I simply needed more confidence and to study a different way; he did not provide me with clear information on how to do this. During the second test of the term which happened on March 16th, I went to ask for my professor¿¿s clarification on one of the test questions as I was having difficulties with it. I took him what I had wrote down which he proceeded to erase and write the same thing back down. He then got very upset with me, yelling in Spanish with regards to the question on the test. I got emotional and teared up to which made him more upset. He told me to, ¿¿stop that crying right now¿ and told me not to come ask him for further help. Considering the situation, it was a strange reaction that greatly upset me and shocked me as I tried to separate what just happened and finish the rest of my test. I received a 36 percent back on that test.
These two circumstances with my family and with the professor worked together make for an extremely upsetting few months. I felt unable to handle the pressure laid upon me and I could not properly compartmentalize the stressful situations and instead I internalizing my struggles.
Should my appeal be granted, I plan to take an online summer course to make up the credits I will lose. Along with this I intend to schedule more regular appointments with my mental health councelor on a continual basis because she is reassuring and supportive which encourages me that I belong in post-secondary education. I expect that this action plan will help me move forward as an academic student equipped to reach my academic goals for the future. I would ask for your understanding and careful consideration. Should you need more details please do not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully yours,
Aislinn MacLennan.
Kingston, ON
K7M 175
March 23rd, 2017
Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen¿¿s University
Kingston, ON
K7L 3N6
Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing to drop SPAN 112 in Winter term of 2017 from my record. I would kindly ask that this class be stricken from my record under the following circumstances:
I would like to detail the two different circumstances which have hindered my performance in this Spanish class. The first of these problems being a situation involving my family. At the end of February my family made it clear to me that they did not think pursuing a university career was wise and insisted I drop-out of Queen¿¿s. My family sees university, specifically a Bachelor of Arts degree, as a very expensive and stressful form of education that offers no specific job opportunities at the time of graduation. During this time, I was very emotionally distraught as my main support system had been abruptly removed from under me. I realize that they had my best interests at heart, but I found the situation extremely stressful and faced extreme anxiety over the stress not only of school, but also from lack of support. The end of February and majority of March has been the busiest time academically for me and I was not putting the proper amount of focus on my studies due to the fact that I felt depressed and unmotivated thinking that I should not be in university and that I did not have what it takes to be a Queen¿¿s student.
Secondly, I have been facing troubling problems with my Spanish professor. After my first Spanish quiz at the beginning of February, which I had not done well on, I went in to talk with my instructor during office hours about a grammatical concept that I did not understand. The professor was not helpful, he told me that he was a professor and not a tutor therefore he could only answer direct questions. This was unhelpful because the concept in general was confusing to me, and therefore I did not have any specific questions to ask. However, after watching many podcasts of different professors explaining these grammatical concepts I believed I then understood and did not consider dropping the course. In the middle of March after seeing my mental health counselor, I realized that I was not only struggling with the situation with my family, but that my Spanish mark was still struggling as well. So I went in to ask my Spanish professor if he had any information about a Spanish tutor who would be willing to help me. My professor did not give me the information I was looking for and instead told me that I understood the grammatical rules but that I simply needed more confidence and to study a different way; he did not provide me with clear information on how to do this. During the second test of the term which happened on March 16th, I went to ask for my professor¿¿s clarification on one of the test questions as I was having difficulties with it. I took him what I had wrote down which he proceeded to erase and write the same thing back down. He then got very upset with me, yelling in Spanish with regards to the question on the test. I got emotional and teared up to which made him more upset. He told me to, ¿¿stop that crying right now¿ and told me not to come ask him for further help. Considering the situation, it was a strange reaction that greatly upset me and shocked me as I tried to separate what just happened and finish the rest of my test. I received a 36 percent back on that test.
These two circumstances with my family and with the professor worked together make for an extremely upsetting few months. I felt unable to handle the pressure laid upon me and I could not properly compartmentalize the stressful situations and instead I internalizing my struggles.
Should my appeal be granted, I plan to take an online summer course to make up the credits I will lose. Along with this I intend to schedule more regular appointments with my mental health councelor on a continual basis because she is reassuring and supportive which encourages me that I belong in post-secondary education. I expect that this action plan will help me move forward as an academic student equipped to reach my academic goals for the future. I would ask for your understanding and careful consideration. Should you need more details please do not hesitate to contact me.
Respectfully yours,
Aislinn MacLennan.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Further documents from mental hath concelor to come.