Petition Letter
June 5, 2015
Associate Dean of Studies
Queen's University
Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am requesting to appeal the decision to withdraw from Queen's for three years and would like the opportunity to return to Queen's as a part-time student. As I was not able to keep up with the work load, I made the poor decision to not drop out of courses I was struggling with which impacted all of my courses.
In September 2014, my elder sister moved to Kingston in the hopes of completing all of courses that she required to attend college in January. Our family does not provide financial support and my hope was for her to be receiving OSAP in the Winter term. Consequently, I used my OSAP to support my sister and myself during the Fall semester. As I worked 10-15 hours a week during the Fall term, I was able to keep ourselves afloat while my sister looked for a part-time job. When she told me that she would not be going to college in the Winter term, I applied for the Queen's Bursary and hoped that it would give me enough funding for the Winter term. Unfortunately, I was denied funding and had to increase my hours to 25-30 hours a week to help with paying for rent, internet and house items as my sister's part-time job was not providing her with enough hours.
Prior to the academic drop date, I spoke with my professor to see what he recommended on if I should drop his course. He and I both agreed that if I put in more effort towards the course, I had a good chance in passing the course. I, genuinely, thought I would be able successfully complete the course. I spoke with Academic Advisors on the likelihood of me being to be removed off of probation and made plans accordingly. I have come to realize that supporting two people and attending school full-time is not an ideal situation and is too much for me to handle alone.
The other main reason as to why I rush things is because I wanted to complete school as soon as possible so that I can have my little sister back in my support. She is someone with a mental disability and her spending so much time in a group home facility makes me want to complete school successfully and rapidly. I am coming to terms with the fact that I can't do as fast as I would like and taking my time with completing the courses will give me the best opportunity to successfully graduate from Queen's.
Associate Dean of Studies
Queen's University
Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am requesting to appeal the decision to withdraw from Queen's for three years and would like the opportunity to return to Queen's as a part-time student. As I was not able to keep up with the work load, I made the poor decision to not drop out of courses I was struggling with which impacted all of my courses.
In September 2014, my elder sister moved to Kingston in the hopes of completing all of courses that she required to attend college in January. Our family does not provide financial support and my hope was for her to be receiving OSAP in the Winter term. Consequently, I used my OSAP to support my sister and myself during the Fall semester. As I worked 10-15 hours a week during the Fall term, I was able to keep ourselves afloat while my sister looked for a part-time job. When she told me that she would not be going to college in the Winter term, I applied for the Queen's Bursary and hoped that it would give me enough funding for the Winter term. Unfortunately, I was denied funding and had to increase my hours to 25-30 hours a week to help with paying for rent, internet and house items as my sister's part-time job was not providing her with enough hours.
Prior to the academic drop date, I spoke with my professor to see what he recommended on if I should drop his course. He and I both agreed that if I put in more effort towards the course, I had a good chance in passing the course. I, genuinely, thought I would be able successfully complete the course. I spoke with Academic Advisors on the likelihood of me being to be removed off of probation and made plans accordingly. I have come to realize that supporting two people and attending school full-time is not an ideal situation and is too much for me to handle alone.
The other main reason as to why I rush things is because I wanted to complete school as soon as possible so that I can have my little sister back in my support. She is someone with a mental disability and her spending so much time in a group home facility makes me want to complete school successfully and rapidly. I am coming to terms with the fact that I can't do as fast as I would like and taking my time with completing the courses will give me the best opportunity to successfully graduate from Queen's.