Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean (Studies),
I am a first year student in Arts/ Science and Concurrent Education and am appealing for Aegrotat Standing in English 100 of Winter 2017.
Beginning February 24th, 2017, I experienced a hit to the head which resulted in a concussion. This physical/mental injury came with many symptoms that affected my school work. I consistently felt dizzy, in a fog, slowed down, had headaches, ringing in the ears, difficulty focusing, pressure in the head, sensitivity to light and noise, sadness, balance problems, and tiredness. Light, especially screens from my computer/ phone worsened my symptoms. Most of my course work required me to be on a laptop which I was incapable of doing. Due to sensitivity to noise, attending class also aggravated my symptoms. Walking out of my building was almost impossible. From weeks 20-24 (5 weeks of class time) of the winter term, I was unable to read, attend lectures, labs, or tutorials, make notes, do any physical/social activity, and lastly complete any assignments/tests. As well, I was unable to study during the exam period (August 9th- August 22nd) and write my five final exams. I strictly only rested and was disconnected from normal everyday activities. During these weeks, I saw Dr. Henderson and Dr. LaCaprara at student services and then later Dr. O¿¿Connor- the concussion specialist in the Queens Arc physiotherapy zone. They all guided me during my concussion as well as to this day in how to deal with post-concussion issues. After speaking to Hailey Newton from Student Services, my professors, and Meg Hall at accessibility services, the decision was made to defer all my exams/ assignments. Additionally, being in Con-Ed I deferred my first year practicum.
With ongoing symptoms from my injury and an undetermined recovery date, Aegrotat Standing will assist in my recovery and help me get back on academic track. Before the end of the term, I spoke with the Con-Ed Advisor (Vicky Andrews) who was able to show me the possibility of taking 3 courses in my second year to lighten up my work load. This seems to be a great option as I have not experienced huge improvements in my injury. To this day- May 22nd- I am still resting/ sleeping for the majority of my time. I have had to quit my job as a camp counsellor and a full day of work is unattainable. With it been 2 months of resting and restraining from any work, the next main priority is to keep healing so that I can complete the rest of my exams and be more capable of working in the next school year. Moreover, by appealing for Aegrotat Standing in only 1 out of 5 of my classes I can alleviate my work and hopefully have a better recovery. In my other courses- which are more science based- I have been able to complete more work given the alternative of reading from a textbook instead of a computer screen. In English 100 all the content is online which is much more strenuous. My first year Professor Dr. Straker has been a guide for my assignments as I have completed majority of the course prior to being injured and have achieved a reasonable grade. I have much more content to cover in my other courses that are also more important for my decision to major in Biology. I hope that for my English 100 course I can successfully receive Aegrotat standing.
Thank you for considering my letter and hope to hear about the decision soon.
Sincerely,
Monika Sitas
I am a first year student in Arts/ Science and Concurrent Education and am appealing for Aegrotat Standing in English 100 of Winter 2017.
Beginning February 24th, 2017, I experienced a hit to the head which resulted in a concussion. This physical/mental injury came with many symptoms that affected my school work. I consistently felt dizzy, in a fog, slowed down, had headaches, ringing in the ears, difficulty focusing, pressure in the head, sensitivity to light and noise, sadness, balance problems, and tiredness. Light, especially screens from my computer/ phone worsened my symptoms. Most of my course work required me to be on a laptop which I was incapable of doing. Due to sensitivity to noise, attending class also aggravated my symptoms. Walking out of my building was almost impossible. From weeks 20-24 (5 weeks of class time) of the winter term, I was unable to read, attend lectures, labs, or tutorials, make notes, do any physical/social activity, and lastly complete any assignments/tests. As well, I was unable to study during the exam period (August 9th- August 22nd) and write my five final exams. I strictly only rested and was disconnected from normal everyday activities. During these weeks, I saw Dr. Henderson and Dr. LaCaprara at student services and then later Dr. O¿¿Connor- the concussion specialist in the Queens Arc physiotherapy zone. They all guided me during my concussion as well as to this day in how to deal with post-concussion issues. After speaking to Hailey Newton from Student Services, my professors, and Meg Hall at accessibility services, the decision was made to defer all my exams/ assignments. Additionally, being in Con-Ed I deferred my first year practicum.
With ongoing symptoms from my injury and an undetermined recovery date, Aegrotat Standing will assist in my recovery and help me get back on academic track. Before the end of the term, I spoke with the Con-Ed Advisor (Vicky Andrews) who was able to show me the possibility of taking 3 courses in my second year to lighten up my work load. This seems to be a great option as I have not experienced huge improvements in my injury. To this day- May 22nd- I am still resting/ sleeping for the majority of my time. I have had to quit my job as a camp counsellor and a full day of work is unattainable. With it been 2 months of resting and restraining from any work, the next main priority is to keep healing so that I can complete the rest of my exams and be more capable of working in the next school year. Moreover, by appealing for Aegrotat Standing in only 1 out of 5 of my classes I can alleviate my work and hopefully have a better recovery. In my other courses- which are more science based- I have been able to complete more work given the alternative of reading from a textbook instead of a computer screen. In English 100 all the content is online which is much more strenuous. My first year Professor Dr. Straker has been a guide for my assignments as I have completed majority of the course prior to being injured and have achieved a reasonable grade. I have much more content to cover in my other courses that are also more important for my decision to major in Biology. I hope that for my English 100 course I can successfully receive Aegrotat standing.
Thank you for considering my letter and hope to hear about the decision soon.
Sincerely,
Monika Sitas