Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 4736
Submitted: June 12, 2018 at 5:37:35 PM
First Name: Daniel
Last Name: McAllister
Student Number: 20028787
Email: 16dm12@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSc
Plan: CHEM
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Johanne Bénard, Associate Dean of Studies,
I am writing to appeal the requirement to withdraw from Queen¿¿s for a minimum of one year. I believe my studies were adversely impacted by my living situation during the last academic year, and that I am now prepared to begin taking classes again this fall.
Despite my best efforts to move past personal conflicts with one of my housemates (or ¿¿this housemate¿), persistent problems in our house lead to a decline in my mental health, and my grades suffered as a result. Issues such as being unable to use the restroom for hours at a time, overhearing phone calls where I was spoken badly of, parties during exams justified by this housemate¿¿s lack of exams, and unannounced overnight visits from this housemate¿¿s parents were some of the problems faced in our house over the last year.
I would be remiss not to stress the frequency of these events; all guests in our home were subject to long waits for the restroom, with one friend of mine having quietly used the toilet while this housemate did her makeup in the same room, having refused to leave. Both myself and the other girl living with us were insulted loudly during one of this housemate¿¿s phone conversations on multiple occasions. Loud gatherings happened less frequently, but were unfortunately concentrated around stressful times of year, and lasted until early morning. On four separate occasions, I awoke surprised to find her parents in our house, having arrived late and stayed the night, despite our mutual promising to announce such things days in advance.
On more than ten occasions, this housemate occupied the bathroom long enough that I found myself seeking other options, humiliated.
These factors lead to my absence in many classes, either because I hadn¿¿t slept the night before, or because I was too embarrassed to leave the house. I was constantly bothering people to obtain notes, and friendships were strained as a result. My attendance at social and club gatherings stopped entirely. My self-worth declined, and my motivation found an all-time low.
While I regret having let these circumstances affect my studies, I would like to make mention of the actions I took to mitigate the effects of this problem. Early in the year, I maintained communication with this housemate until she stopped speaking to me entirely. By the end of the year, myself and the other girl in our house were staying with friends a few nights a week to avoid being in our house. I consulted friends and professionals who had dealt with similar situations, and was comforted to know I was not alone.
I have also taken action to protect myself from situations like this in the future. I became familiar with many of the health services available on campus towards the end of last year. During a meeting with an academic counsellor after first semester I mentioned trouble with a housemate, and she referred me to personal counselling. There I sought help with the situation, and learned of safe, effective methods of communication. Myself and my other housemate are also moving out into a house together for next year to create a more positive, inclusive environment.
Looking to next year, I would like to retake many of the courses I did not succeed in this past year, as I do not believe that course content or my choice of program are responsible for my difficulties this year. I noticed this year that a part of my coursework I never failed to complete was the laboratory component, as I had a partner for those sessions. I believe regular meetings with support staff on campus will help to keep me accountable to my obligations, and that if a problem does arise, I may find a solution much more quickly that way. I have also been made aware of procrastination, writing, and effective communication workshops and seminars that I am interested in taking upon my return, as I believe I could greatly benefit from them.
While I am relieved to be free of my last residence, I have grown as a consequence of the ordeal. With the improvements I have made to my environment and to myself, and the support of my peers and of the university, I feel I am ready to begin coursework this fall.
Thank you for your time, and for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel McAllister
I am writing to appeal the requirement to withdraw from Queen¿¿s for a minimum of one year. I believe my studies were adversely impacted by my living situation during the last academic year, and that I am now prepared to begin taking classes again this fall.
Despite my best efforts to move past personal conflicts with one of my housemates (or ¿¿this housemate¿), persistent problems in our house lead to a decline in my mental health, and my grades suffered as a result. Issues such as being unable to use the restroom for hours at a time, overhearing phone calls where I was spoken badly of, parties during exams justified by this housemate¿¿s lack of exams, and unannounced overnight visits from this housemate¿¿s parents were some of the problems faced in our house over the last year.
I would be remiss not to stress the frequency of these events; all guests in our home were subject to long waits for the restroom, with one friend of mine having quietly used the toilet while this housemate did her makeup in the same room, having refused to leave. Both myself and the other girl living with us were insulted loudly during one of this housemate¿¿s phone conversations on multiple occasions. Loud gatherings happened less frequently, but were unfortunately concentrated around stressful times of year, and lasted until early morning. On four separate occasions, I awoke surprised to find her parents in our house, having arrived late and stayed the night, despite our mutual promising to announce such things days in advance.
On more than ten occasions, this housemate occupied the bathroom long enough that I found myself seeking other options, humiliated.
These factors lead to my absence in many classes, either because I hadn¿¿t slept the night before, or because I was too embarrassed to leave the house. I was constantly bothering people to obtain notes, and friendships were strained as a result. My attendance at social and club gatherings stopped entirely. My self-worth declined, and my motivation found an all-time low.
While I regret having let these circumstances affect my studies, I would like to make mention of the actions I took to mitigate the effects of this problem. Early in the year, I maintained communication with this housemate until she stopped speaking to me entirely. By the end of the year, myself and the other girl in our house were staying with friends a few nights a week to avoid being in our house. I consulted friends and professionals who had dealt with similar situations, and was comforted to know I was not alone.
I have also taken action to protect myself from situations like this in the future. I became familiar with many of the health services available on campus towards the end of last year. During a meeting with an academic counsellor after first semester I mentioned trouble with a housemate, and she referred me to personal counselling. There I sought help with the situation, and learned of safe, effective methods of communication. Myself and my other housemate are also moving out into a house together for next year to create a more positive, inclusive environment.
Looking to next year, I would like to retake many of the courses I did not succeed in this past year, as I do not believe that course content or my choice of program are responsible for my difficulties this year. I noticed this year that a part of my coursework I never failed to complete was the laboratory component, as I had a partner for those sessions. I believe regular meetings with support staff on campus will help to keep me accountable to my obligations, and that if a problem does arise, I may find a solution much more quickly that way. I have also been made aware of procrastination, writing, and effective communication workshops and seminars that I am interested in taking upon my return, as I believe I could greatly benefit from them.
While I am relieved to be free of my last residence, I have grown as a consequence of the ordeal. With the improvements I have made to my environment and to myself, and the support of my peers and of the university, I feel I am ready to begin coursework this fall.
Thank you for your time, and for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel McAllister
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: During my two meetings with academic counselors, once before arriving this past September and once just before second semester began, I was advised that retaking some first-year courses would be beneficial to my GPA, and would allow me to focus on harder, core second-year courses. Though I rejected this idea at these times, I now understand how this may be helpful in reducing overall academic stress. As such, I would like to retake a number of first and second year courses in order to create a solid foundation going forward.
My aim is to be accepted into a Chemistry plan. From my last meeting with an advisor, I learned I would need to improve my GPA to be accepted into a plan. For now, I have been advised to prepare alternatives to courses in the case that I am unable to find space. I have listed some of the alternatives recommended below. This way, should I not find room in a given core course, I can still make progress toward my goal, and improve my GPA to a point where I can enter my desired program.
These things duly considered, I have chosen the following courses:
CHEM 211, 212, 213
STAT 263
PSYC 100A
CHEM 221, 222, 223
PSYC 100B
As alternative courses, I have chosen the following:
BIOL 103
BCHM 218
GEOL 102
MATH 121
ANAT 215/216
In addition to academic counselling, I have also been introduced to personal counselling through the Wellness Services. I met with Mr. Dennis Pringle, with whom I shared my experiences, and who had provided supporting documentation related to my appeal.
We identified that the greatest challenge I was facing this past academic year was due to my living arrangements. With his advice on safe communication in a hostile environment, I was able to communicate with my uncommunicative housemate for the first time in months, and we were able to settle financial matters related to housing and part ways. Having found a new place to live and having helped my other housemate leave that hostile environment behind as well, I have created a safe and supportive space for myself for the coming year.
I became familiar with workshops run by Queen¿¿s while attending one on writing midway through second semester, and I look forward to partaking in many. Specifically, I believe procrastination and communication seminars would be of great use to me.
As i mentioned in my letter of appeal, I find that being held accountable greatly increases my motivation; I didn't miss a single laboratory where I had a partner. I was recently introduced to the idea of routine meetings with professionals on campus to create the same accountability, and am ready to check in as often as is necessary. I feel this, in combination with my new house free of conflicts, will allow for significantly greater success in my academics. I also look forward to reconnecting with lost friends once i have found my footing once again.
Finally, I have worked with both my parents and my bank on a sustainable, realistic budget. I will have no problems paying for school and housing this coming year, and as such will be able to devote all of my time to my studies. I have notified the only club I was a part of last year that I must put my studies first, and have quit until I am able to achieve the grades I need. Considering how much effort I will need to put towards learning new skills, in addition to studies and homework, I would certainly return to full-time studies if possible.
Should I be allowed to enroll in the fall, I will continue to improve my chances of success through workshops and regular check-ins with on-campus professionals to keep me accountable to my commitment to my academics. Now that I have prepared myself through support services, academic advice, personal reflection, and a positive change of environment, I feel confident in my ability to achieve my goals.
Once again, thank you for your time, and for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel McAllister
My aim is to be accepted into a Chemistry plan. From my last meeting with an advisor, I learned I would need to improve my GPA to be accepted into a plan. For now, I have been advised to prepare alternatives to courses in the case that I am unable to find space. I have listed some of the alternatives recommended below. This way, should I not find room in a given core course, I can still make progress toward my goal, and improve my GPA to a point where I can enter my desired program.
These things duly considered, I have chosen the following courses:
CHEM 211, 212, 213
STAT 263
PSYC 100A
CHEM 221, 222, 223
PSYC 100B
As alternative courses, I have chosen the following:
BIOL 103
BCHM 218
GEOL 102
MATH 121
ANAT 215/216
In addition to academic counselling, I have also been introduced to personal counselling through the Wellness Services. I met with Mr. Dennis Pringle, with whom I shared my experiences, and who had provided supporting documentation related to my appeal.
We identified that the greatest challenge I was facing this past academic year was due to my living arrangements. With his advice on safe communication in a hostile environment, I was able to communicate with my uncommunicative housemate for the first time in months, and we were able to settle financial matters related to housing and part ways. Having found a new place to live and having helped my other housemate leave that hostile environment behind as well, I have created a safe and supportive space for myself for the coming year.
I became familiar with workshops run by Queen¿¿s while attending one on writing midway through second semester, and I look forward to partaking in many. Specifically, I believe procrastination and communication seminars would be of great use to me.
As i mentioned in my letter of appeal, I find that being held accountable greatly increases my motivation; I didn't miss a single laboratory where I had a partner. I was recently introduced to the idea of routine meetings with professionals on campus to create the same accountability, and am ready to check in as often as is necessary. I feel this, in combination with my new house free of conflicts, will allow for significantly greater success in my academics. I also look forward to reconnecting with lost friends once i have found my footing once again.
Finally, I have worked with both my parents and my bank on a sustainable, realistic budget. I will have no problems paying for school and housing this coming year, and as such will be able to devote all of my time to my studies. I have notified the only club I was a part of last year that I must put my studies first, and have quit until I am able to achieve the grades I need. Considering how much effort I will need to put towards learning new skills, in addition to studies and homework, I would certainly return to full-time studies if possible.
Should I be allowed to enroll in the fall, I will continue to improve my chances of success through workshops and regular check-ins with on-campus professionals to keep me accountable to my commitment to my academics. Now that I have prepared myself through support services, academic advice, personal reflection, and a positive change of environment, I feel confident in my ability to achieve my goals.
Once again, thank you for your time, and for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel McAllister
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Letter From Professional - Dennis Pringle
Decision Letters
History
Originally submitted June 12, 2018 at 5:37:35 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Prepared for Review | Carrie Roosenmaalen | 2018-06-13 4:05:42 PM | |
| status | N/A | Prepared for Review | Denied | Spring Forsberg | 2018-06-25 11:02:03 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Johanne Benard, Ph.D. | Spring Forsberg | 2018-06-25 11:02:03 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Spring Forsberg | 2018-06-25 11:02:48 AM |