Petition Letter
To: Associate Dean (Arts & Science, Gender Studies),
I am writing to appeal the following courses and to have them removed from my transcript.
1. Law 516 ¿¿ 2011 FALL
2. GNDS 321 ¿¿ 2012 WINT
3. ENGL 277 ¿¿ 2012 WINT
4. COMM 251- 2012 WINT / 2013 SUMM
5. FILM 260 ¿¿ 2013 SUMM
6. HIST 272a/b ¿¿ 2014 WINT
7. HIST 260a/b ¿¿ 2016 WINT
The reason that I am appealing right now versus Winter 2012 are as follows:
1- Very difficult time period and am only now feeling capable to formally address the situation and its effect on my studies.
2- There were extenuating circumstances during that time period impacting my concentration on my academics which unfortunately has now resulted in my GPA to plummet.
After this hard period in my life, I took an academic leave for a full 2.5 years and I¿¿m now feeling stronger and more capable to complete my degree.
In the Summer of 2011, I received news of a severe illness in the family that deeply affected me and, in turn, had a very negative effect on my academics. I dealt with this from approximately Summer 2011 through to Spring 2014. During this time, I was travelling to and from school (Kingston - Ottawa) as a means to be closer to my family. These trips were sporadic and on an on call basis. In hindsight this meant I wasn¿¿t able to focus on my academics during this time. I decided to start carrying a lighter course load which even ended up being insurmountable. In Fall of 2012, I moved home to be with family and to continue my education at a distance. I was trying to make good, conscious academic decisions, without having to withdraw from my studies completely. In hindsight, I realize I should have taken an academic leave instead of continuing to try. For this reason, I stepped away from my academics for a year in 2015 in an attempt to use this time to better myself and to try again come 2016.
In Winter 2016, I was ready to return to my studies, however, shortly after enrolling in a class I received unfortunate news on a private family matter. This affected me on a deep emotional level and impacted my ability to concentrate and focus on school. I failed to remove this course from my academic record as it was past the dropping without penalty time and well, I thought I would be able to get it finished, however, the distractions were too much for me to handle at that time.
Over the last 6 years, I enrolled in these classes with good intentions to complete my degree however, due to unfortunate circumstances, out of my control, I have failed in doing so. Moving forward, I am in a much better place, and have accepted these life events as part of my past. These courses are now weighing quite heavy on my academic experience and are a constant reminder of a very hard time in my life. They are currently causing my GPA to plummet, making it nearly impossible to be eligible to graduate even after completing the final 6 units that are required for my degree plan.
So here I am, 2.5 years later, from the last time I enrolled in a course. I have consulted with a health care professional and am feeling very well equipped and eager to complete my degree. I am appealing to drop the aforementioned courses late from my transcript as they are not a proper reflection of my abilities as a student. I am currently working full time, so my plan is to take one course per semester, at a distance, in order to manage the workload, appropriately. I have consulted with my direct manager at work and I have been given time in my weekly schedule to put towards course work and assignments. As I have mentioned before, I am extremely keen on graduating and being able to properly close this chapter of my life and this will help me achieve that.
If there are any questions, please don¿¿t hesitate to contact me for further information. I appreciate your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rachel Moore
I am writing to appeal the following courses and to have them removed from my transcript.
1. Law 516 ¿¿ 2011 FALL
2. GNDS 321 ¿¿ 2012 WINT
3. ENGL 277 ¿¿ 2012 WINT
4. COMM 251- 2012 WINT / 2013 SUMM
5. FILM 260 ¿¿ 2013 SUMM
6. HIST 272a/b ¿¿ 2014 WINT
7. HIST 260a/b ¿¿ 2016 WINT
The reason that I am appealing right now versus Winter 2012 are as follows:
1- Very difficult time period and am only now feeling capable to formally address the situation and its effect on my studies.
2- There were extenuating circumstances during that time period impacting my concentration on my academics which unfortunately has now resulted in my GPA to plummet.
After this hard period in my life, I took an academic leave for a full 2.5 years and I¿¿m now feeling stronger and more capable to complete my degree.
In the Summer of 2011, I received news of a severe illness in the family that deeply affected me and, in turn, had a very negative effect on my academics. I dealt with this from approximately Summer 2011 through to Spring 2014. During this time, I was travelling to and from school (Kingston - Ottawa) as a means to be closer to my family. These trips were sporadic and on an on call basis. In hindsight this meant I wasn¿¿t able to focus on my academics during this time. I decided to start carrying a lighter course load which even ended up being insurmountable. In Fall of 2012, I moved home to be with family and to continue my education at a distance. I was trying to make good, conscious academic decisions, without having to withdraw from my studies completely. In hindsight, I realize I should have taken an academic leave instead of continuing to try. For this reason, I stepped away from my academics for a year in 2015 in an attempt to use this time to better myself and to try again come 2016.
In Winter 2016, I was ready to return to my studies, however, shortly after enrolling in a class I received unfortunate news on a private family matter. This affected me on a deep emotional level and impacted my ability to concentrate and focus on school. I failed to remove this course from my academic record as it was past the dropping without penalty time and well, I thought I would be able to get it finished, however, the distractions were too much for me to handle at that time.
Over the last 6 years, I enrolled in these classes with good intentions to complete my degree however, due to unfortunate circumstances, out of my control, I have failed in doing so. Moving forward, I am in a much better place, and have accepted these life events as part of my past. These courses are now weighing quite heavy on my academic experience and are a constant reminder of a very hard time in my life. They are currently causing my GPA to plummet, making it nearly impossible to be eligible to graduate even after completing the final 6 units that are required for my degree plan.
So here I am, 2.5 years later, from the last time I enrolled in a course. I have consulted with a health care professional and am feeling very well equipped and eager to complete my degree. I am appealing to drop the aforementioned courses late from my transcript as they are not a proper reflection of my abilities as a student. I am currently working full time, so my plan is to take one course per semester, at a distance, in order to manage the workload, appropriately. I have consulted with my direct manager at work and I have been given time in my weekly schedule to put towards course work and assignments. As I have mentioned before, I am extremely keen on graduating and being able to properly close this chapter of my life and this will help me achieve that.
If there are any questions, please don¿¿t hesitate to contact me for further information. I appreciate your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rachel Moore