Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 3967
Submitted: November 24, 2017 at 11:12:00 PM
First Name: Daniel
Last Name: Maheu
Student Number: 10179182
Email: 14dm51@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH,BED
Plan: HIST,GPHY
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: GPHY 242
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean (Studies),
I am appealing to drop GPHY 242 (Fall 2017) after the academic penalty deadline. The reason I am attempting to drop this course is two-fold. The primary factor has to do with the changing nature of my mental illness and its impact on my academic abilities. The other reason is the scientific nature and layout of the course, and my inability to submit the remaining assignments due to time constraints.
I have been facing a psychological challenge that has had a considerable impact on my personal life, and especially my academics for the past three years. During my first two years here at Queens, my condition inhibited my ability to meet my academic potential as it forced me to stay in bed, unable to attend many classes or hand in projects and assignments on time. While this was happening, these episodes were consistent, and I was able to predict to a certain extent when my illness would be at its worst. I could therefore pre-emptively notify my instructors that I would not be able to meet deadlines for a certain amount of time. However, as time has progressed, my condition has become increasingly episodic, therefore making it unpredictable as to when I will experience low or high mood episodes. This has had a direct impact on how I have been able to perform academically this semester. This unpredictable nature makes it extremely difficult to work on assignments, study or do readings in a timely manner. Given these circumstances, in October of this year, I met with QSAS to obtain the appropriate accommodations to help me negotiate deadlines with my instructors, all of whom were understanding and willing to work with me during this difficult time. However, due to the scientific nature of GPHY 242 and the way the assignments are laid out, I will not be able to achieve a passing grade in the course.
By the time I received accommodations, I was already quite behind in all my courses, most notably GPHY 242, as the readings are quite dense and required an extended amount of time to be able to fully absorb and grasp the content. Along with the readings were weekly lectures, quizzes and labs, all of which I was struggling to attend and complete. After having spoken to the instructor, he gave me an extension on the remaining labs, collectively worth a significant portion of the grade. However, the rest of the class was given four weeks to work on them because they are quite labour intensive, where I would only have two weeks to work on both. The time that I could have been working on them prior was being dedicated to getting myself back on track with my mental health, and I was therefore unable to allocate a proper amount of time towards them. Whereas my other courses are structured in such a way that allows a reasonable amount of time to complete tests and assignments at later dates. The GPHY 242 content needed to be submitted by a certain time, as they needed to give those assignments back to the rest of the class. As a part of my program, I need to take a certain amount of geography methods courses, of which GPHY 242 is one. Given that there are five to choose from, my plan is to enroll in these alternative courses to be able to fulfill this requirement.
Moving forward, I will continue to see my physician Dr. Nguyen to consult and provide her with updates regarding my mental health. She has since referred me to a specialist with whom I can go into greater detail about my condition to be able to establish proper management techniques. Through this, I will be better suited to cope with these symptoms that act as a barrier to not only my personal life but my academic life as well. I will also continue to keep QSAS in the loop regarding accommodations that I may need, and whether they need to be changed in the future. I have also sat down with Gail Eaton-Smith, a learning strategist at QSAS, to develop techniques and heuristics that enable me to get back on track and stay on top of my academics when times get tough. In the coming years, I intend to take a reduced course load during the fall and winter terms. This will make things more manageable for me, and I will not be in a situation where I need to drop courses in the future. By allowing me to drop GPHY 242, you will be taking a big pressure off my shoulders that will not only allow me to focus more attention and time to my other courses, but to my mental health as well.
Your consideration of this matter is greatly appreciated,
Daniel Maheu
I am appealing to drop GPHY 242 (Fall 2017) after the academic penalty deadline. The reason I am attempting to drop this course is two-fold. The primary factor has to do with the changing nature of my mental illness and its impact on my academic abilities. The other reason is the scientific nature and layout of the course, and my inability to submit the remaining assignments due to time constraints.
I have been facing a psychological challenge that has had a considerable impact on my personal life, and especially my academics for the past three years. During my first two years here at Queens, my condition inhibited my ability to meet my academic potential as it forced me to stay in bed, unable to attend many classes or hand in projects and assignments on time. While this was happening, these episodes were consistent, and I was able to predict to a certain extent when my illness would be at its worst. I could therefore pre-emptively notify my instructors that I would not be able to meet deadlines for a certain amount of time. However, as time has progressed, my condition has become increasingly episodic, therefore making it unpredictable as to when I will experience low or high mood episodes. This has had a direct impact on how I have been able to perform academically this semester. This unpredictable nature makes it extremely difficult to work on assignments, study or do readings in a timely manner. Given these circumstances, in October of this year, I met with QSAS to obtain the appropriate accommodations to help me negotiate deadlines with my instructors, all of whom were understanding and willing to work with me during this difficult time. However, due to the scientific nature of GPHY 242 and the way the assignments are laid out, I will not be able to achieve a passing grade in the course.
By the time I received accommodations, I was already quite behind in all my courses, most notably GPHY 242, as the readings are quite dense and required an extended amount of time to be able to fully absorb and grasp the content. Along with the readings were weekly lectures, quizzes and labs, all of which I was struggling to attend and complete. After having spoken to the instructor, he gave me an extension on the remaining labs, collectively worth a significant portion of the grade. However, the rest of the class was given four weeks to work on them because they are quite labour intensive, where I would only have two weeks to work on both. The time that I could have been working on them prior was being dedicated to getting myself back on track with my mental health, and I was therefore unable to allocate a proper amount of time towards them. Whereas my other courses are structured in such a way that allows a reasonable amount of time to complete tests and assignments at later dates. The GPHY 242 content needed to be submitted by a certain time, as they needed to give those assignments back to the rest of the class. As a part of my program, I need to take a certain amount of geography methods courses, of which GPHY 242 is one. Given that there are five to choose from, my plan is to enroll in these alternative courses to be able to fulfill this requirement.
Moving forward, I will continue to see my physician Dr. Nguyen to consult and provide her with updates regarding my mental health. She has since referred me to a specialist with whom I can go into greater detail about my condition to be able to establish proper management techniques. Through this, I will be better suited to cope with these symptoms that act as a barrier to not only my personal life but my academic life as well. I will also continue to keep QSAS in the loop regarding accommodations that I may need, and whether they need to be changed in the future. I have also sat down with Gail Eaton-Smith, a learning strategist at QSAS, to develop techniques and heuristics that enable me to get back on track and stay on top of my academics when times get tough. In the coming years, I intend to take a reduced course load during the fall and winter terms. This will make things more manageable for me, and I will not be in a situation where I need to drop courses in the future. By allowing me to drop GPHY 242, you will be taking a big pressure off my shoulders that will not only allow me to focus more attention and time to my other courses, but to my mental health as well.
Your consideration of this matter is greatly appreciated,
Daniel Maheu
Documentation
Professional Letter: Appeal Letter Fall 2017 Documentation.pdf