Petition Letter
To Dr. Johanne Bénard,
My name is Farrah Soliman and I am currently in my third year at Queen¿¿s University en route to completing an Honours Bachelor of Sciences with a Major in Biology and a Minor in Philosophy. I am writing to you to appeal for Aegrotat standing with regards to BCHM 218, PHIL 203, and BIOL 341 (Winter, 2017).
Yesterday, April 17, I was notified of the passing of a close friend. While this individual is not a biological relative, their presence in my life was undeniably significant. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, I do not feel I am able to perform to the standards expected as a Queen¿¿s student, nor my own personal academic standards, in the writing of my BCHM 218, PHIL 203, and BIOL 341 examinations on April 19 and 20. While I have been given the time to study, these days closer to the exam date are always crucial to being able to succeed in my academic goals. That being said, my focus has been averted from academia and I have not been able to successfully relearn and solidify the course material. Furthermore, the material that has been learned is not currently at the forefront of my mind. This event has drastically affected my normal study schedule, as my thoughts are elsewhere, and thus I do not believe the exam grades I would receive on the basis of this event would truly reflect my knowledge on these courses. While the affects of this event will eventually subside, the current pain and grief that is felt acts as a deterrent from my studies, as well as otherwise simple tasks such as eating or being in public. My reasoning for appealing for Aegrotat standing rather than the rescheduling of these exams has to do with a mission trip/cultural exchange in which I will be participating. On May 1, I will be travelling to North Africa for seven weeks to spend time on university campuses. During this time I will not have internet access and thus my ability to write these exams at a later point (even online, as it is multiple choice) would not be possible.
After hearing the news, I initially believed that I would have to push through and attempt to write each of my exams as I begin this grieving process. Today, however, I was informed by a friend of the option to appeal for Aegrotat status. While BCHM 218 has been a challenging course for me, I have been able to do relatively well in the course; based on the grades I know, I would currently sit at about a B+ according to Launchpad, which includes our midterm and online quiz grades. PHIL 203 has been an incredibly enjoyable course for me, as I get to learn how science and philosophy ¿¿ my major and minor ¿¿ interact with each other. In this course I currently sit at about a B-/B. BIOL 341 has also been a pleasure to have taken. Finding the content entirely relevant to the type of studies I would like to pursue in the future, I have done quite well and currently sit at an A.
The granting of this appeal would be a massive relief, bringing the comfort of knowing my academic standing in these courses would not be jeopardized by the writing of these exams in an unwell state, and allow for the redirection of my thoughts and energy to processing and recovering. Given such short notice, thank you for your attention and thoughtfulness.
Sincerely,
Farrah Soliman
Student ID: 10135477
Net ID: 13fs27
My name is Farrah Soliman and I am currently in my third year at Queen¿¿s University en route to completing an Honours Bachelor of Sciences with a Major in Biology and a Minor in Philosophy. I am writing to you to appeal for Aegrotat standing with regards to BCHM 218, PHIL 203, and BIOL 341 (Winter, 2017).
Yesterday, April 17, I was notified of the passing of a close friend. While this individual is not a biological relative, their presence in my life was undeniably significant. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, I do not feel I am able to perform to the standards expected as a Queen¿¿s student, nor my own personal academic standards, in the writing of my BCHM 218, PHIL 203, and BIOL 341 examinations on April 19 and 20. While I have been given the time to study, these days closer to the exam date are always crucial to being able to succeed in my academic goals. That being said, my focus has been averted from academia and I have not been able to successfully relearn and solidify the course material. Furthermore, the material that has been learned is not currently at the forefront of my mind. This event has drastically affected my normal study schedule, as my thoughts are elsewhere, and thus I do not believe the exam grades I would receive on the basis of this event would truly reflect my knowledge on these courses. While the affects of this event will eventually subside, the current pain and grief that is felt acts as a deterrent from my studies, as well as otherwise simple tasks such as eating or being in public. My reasoning for appealing for Aegrotat standing rather than the rescheduling of these exams has to do with a mission trip/cultural exchange in which I will be participating. On May 1, I will be travelling to North Africa for seven weeks to spend time on university campuses. During this time I will not have internet access and thus my ability to write these exams at a later point (even online, as it is multiple choice) would not be possible.
After hearing the news, I initially believed that I would have to push through and attempt to write each of my exams as I begin this grieving process. Today, however, I was informed by a friend of the option to appeal for Aegrotat status. While BCHM 218 has been a challenging course for me, I have been able to do relatively well in the course; based on the grades I know, I would currently sit at about a B+ according to Launchpad, which includes our midterm and online quiz grades. PHIL 203 has been an incredibly enjoyable course for me, as I get to learn how science and philosophy ¿¿ my major and minor ¿¿ interact with each other. In this course I currently sit at about a B-/B. BIOL 341 has also been a pleasure to have taken. Finding the content entirely relevant to the type of studies I would like to pursue in the future, I have done quite well and currently sit at an A.
The granting of this appeal would be a massive relief, bringing the comfort of knowing my academic standing in these courses would not be jeopardized by the writing of these exams in an unwell state, and allow for the redirection of my thoughts and energy to processing and recovering. Given such short notice, thank you for your attention and thoughtfulness.
Sincerely,
Farrah Soliman
Student ID: 10135477
Net ID: 13fs27