Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 703
Submitted: January 24, 2015 at 7:04:36 PM
First Name: Morgan
Last Name: Reilly-McSheffrey
Student Number: 10018144
Email: 0mmlr@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BA
Plan: HLTH
Level of Study: 4
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: ENGL 237
Term: Fall
Year: 2014
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Morgan McSheffrey and I am a 4th year student in Health Studies. I am sending in this appeal request in regards to the course ENGL 237 Children's Literature -that I took in Fall 2014. I am a hardworking student but this past semester, I was diagnosed by my family doctor with depression, which has severely impacted my studies this school year. I am appealing to have ENGL 237 removed from my transcript.
Over the fall term, my depression had its ups and downs, where some days I would feel great and others I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Unfortunately, this impacted my school life and I missed class more frequently as I had no energy to get out of bed for my early morning classes. In particular, my depression impacted my success in ENGL 237 as I would often miss my morning classes (Monday at 10:00am and Wednesday at 8:30am) and therefore, would have to catch up on the course material on my own. Professor Hastings had set up a system at the beginning of the school year to find two individuals to contact for notes if you miss class, but of course, my two contacts dropped the class in the first week. I emailed Professor Hastings to find a new student to provide me with notes, but she too would miss class sometimes. This was an unreliable method of catching up on course notes. In addition, Professor Hastings did not provide detailed notes on Moodle, therefore it was up to me to fill in the blanks of what I missed the previous lecture. ENGL 237 also had a component to the course where in-class quizzes were conducted at random. I missed a few of the quizzes because of my mental illness; therefore I received a grade of 0 on these.
During the winter exam period, my depression became the worst it had been all semester. I was physically and mentally withdrawn from my studies, and it became impossible for me to study for my upcoming exams. I decided to defer my two exams I had to write, HLTH 415 and ENGL 237 and return home early for the holidays. I was able to complete my PHIL 301 course as there was no final exam, just an essay. I received an extension on the essay, and I was able to use my notes as well as the internet to help with my assignment. For HLTH 415, I had an accommodated exam due to my mental illness, and my professor made a take-home exam for me to complete on my own time over the holidays. This was extremely beneficial to me as I could use a combination of my notes, my textbook and the internet to help with the exam. The accommodations that were made for me were very helpful, but unfortunately, I did not receive the same help in ENGL 237 as I did in my other courses. My request for a deferred exam was accepted, but when I asked for an accommodation such as a take-home exam, I was denied. It was made mandatory that I complete the exam upon returning in the first week of classes. When the first week of classes approached, I was still struggling with my depression, and therefore could not study or write the exam. Over the holidays, I was working to manage my depression, and I changed my medication, which ultimately altered my mood and I was very tired for a few weeks. I did not have the strength or mental capacity to study for the ENGL 237 exam over the winter break.
If I were to write the ENGL 237 exam today, I would not do well. I have the inability to prepare for this exam due to insufficient notes and incomplete readings due to the missed classes, limited strength and mental capacity over the fall term. All of these factors were influenced by my mental illness that I am trying to manage every day. This semester, I am only taking two courses, as my doctor has advised this so I can focus on becoming healthy again. By having ENGL 237 removed from my transcript, I will be able to continue my educational journey without having a failure on my record. Having a failure on my transcript would be another set back in my experience at Queen's, and I want to end my undergraduate time at Queen's on the most positive note possible. I thank you for taking the time to read my appeal.
Sincerely,
Morgan Reilly-McSheffrey
HLTH BA'15
My name is Morgan McSheffrey and I am a 4th year student in Health Studies. I am sending in this appeal request in regards to the course ENGL 237 Children's Literature -that I took in Fall 2014. I am a hardworking student but this past semester, I was diagnosed by my family doctor with depression, which has severely impacted my studies this school year. I am appealing to have ENGL 237 removed from my transcript.
Over the fall term, my depression had its ups and downs, where some days I would feel great and others I had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Unfortunately, this impacted my school life and I missed class more frequently as I had no energy to get out of bed for my early morning classes. In particular, my depression impacted my success in ENGL 237 as I would often miss my morning classes (Monday at 10:00am and Wednesday at 8:30am) and therefore, would have to catch up on the course material on my own. Professor Hastings had set up a system at the beginning of the school year to find two individuals to contact for notes if you miss class, but of course, my two contacts dropped the class in the first week. I emailed Professor Hastings to find a new student to provide me with notes, but she too would miss class sometimes. This was an unreliable method of catching up on course notes. In addition, Professor Hastings did not provide detailed notes on Moodle, therefore it was up to me to fill in the blanks of what I missed the previous lecture. ENGL 237 also had a component to the course where in-class quizzes were conducted at random. I missed a few of the quizzes because of my mental illness; therefore I received a grade of 0 on these.
During the winter exam period, my depression became the worst it had been all semester. I was physically and mentally withdrawn from my studies, and it became impossible for me to study for my upcoming exams. I decided to defer my two exams I had to write, HLTH 415 and ENGL 237 and return home early for the holidays. I was able to complete my PHIL 301 course as there was no final exam, just an essay. I received an extension on the essay, and I was able to use my notes as well as the internet to help with my assignment. For HLTH 415, I had an accommodated exam due to my mental illness, and my professor made a take-home exam for me to complete on my own time over the holidays. This was extremely beneficial to me as I could use a combination of my notes, my textbook and the internet to help with the exam. The accommodations that were made for me were very helpful, but unfortunately, I did not receive the same help in ENGL 237 as I did in my other courses. My request for a deferred exam was accepted, but when I asked for an accommodation such as a take-home exam, I was denied. It was made mandatory that I complete the exam upon returning in the first week of classes. When the first week of classes approached, I was still struggling with my depression, and therefore could not study or write the exam. Over the holidays, I was working to manage my depression, and I changed my medication, which ultimately altered my mood and I was very tired for a few weeks. I did not have the strength or mental capacity to study for the ENGL 237 exam over the winter break.
If I were to write the ENGL 237 exam today, I would not do well. I have the inability to prepare for this exam due to insufficient notes and incomplete readings due to the missed classes, limited strength and mental capacity over the fall term. All of these factors were influenced by my mental illness that I am trying to manage every day. This semester, I am only taking two courses, as my doctor has advised this so I can focus on becoming healthy again. By having ENGL 237 removed from my transcript, I will be able to continue my educational journey without having a failure on my record. Having a failure on my transcript would be another set back in my experience at Queen's, and I want to end my undergraduate time at Queen's on the most positive note possible. I thank you for taking the time to read my appeal.
Sincerely,
Morgan Reilly-McSheffrey
HLTH BA'15
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: see appeal HE