Petition Letter
Dear the Associate Dean Academic,
I am writing to you to inform you of my ongoing health concerns which negatively affected my end of 2020 fall, and 2021 winter semester marks, in the hopes of having my ENGL 200 mark changed to credit standing, and if possible my other winter marks as well.
On November 19th of 2020, I woke up with a really bad sore throat; this pain was unusual as I had never before experienced any throat problems as such. I went to Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston, and after waiting around for several hours I was told that I had tonsillitis and was given Amoxicillin. I was told that in 4-5 days I should feel better. That being said, I did not feel better after 5 days, but I figured I would wait to see my GP when I got back to my home in Montreal, as I was planning to go in a few days.
On December 4th, I saw my GP in Montreal who told me that my tonsils looked swollen and that it was possible that the virus was still in my system. She also told me that it was possible that I had post nasal drip, as a result of the swollen tonsils. Consequently, she prescribed me with Azithromycin, a very strong antibiotic, and Anti-Fluocazole, a nasal spray. I was told that I would be fine in 10 days. I did not feel better after 10 days, so I went back and this time was told to gargle with warm salt water and take it easy, and that I should start to feel better soon.
On January 15th, I still did not feel well so I booked an appointment with an Ears, Nose and Throat specialist who looked at my tonsils and said that they were abrasive due to the excessive use of salt water; she told me to eat ice cream and that I should be fine. At this time I was also dealing with increased anxiety which only added more stress to the situation.
By February 10th, I still was not feeling too well. I still had a sore throat, but now I had begun with ear pain, headaches, and fatigue. I knew it was something, but was getting tired of seeing so many doctors and not getting an answer. So, as I was back in Kingston, I saw a doctor at the Queen's Wellness center who said my tonsils looked red and enlarged. Thus, I took a strep test which came back negative. Additionally, throughout these months I had six COVID-19 tests done to make sure that was not the case; every COVID-19 test I took came back negative.
Due to the fact that the winter semester had already begun and I had no clear diagnosis I was forced to continue with school despite my symptoms. As it was close to impossible for me to keep up I dropped a course, bringing my course load to four instead of five; previously, I had always taken five courses every semester.
On March 9th, I saw another Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who said my tonsils looked swollen; I was prescribed two nasal sprays and was told to use them for a month. That seemed to work temporarily, as it helped with the earaches, but as soon as I stopped using them the earaches came back.
At the end of April, my tonsils flared up and got really bad. I was extremely tired, my throat was so swollen I had a hard time talking, I was getting persistent headaches, and ear pain. I went to the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex in Montreal where I had blood tests done. I was told that I had been dealing with undiagnosed mononucleosis. The doctor looked and me and said,I applaud you for sticking with your studies, that must have been close to impossible; most people take six weeks off school to rest. The mononucleosis diagnosis explained the symptoms, but by the time I got the diagnosis it was already the end of the semester and I had only just received proof of my ongoing physical health issues.
I was not expecting my professors to treat me differently, but I was hoping that they would be understanding of the fact that my situation made it close to impossible for me to get any work done. While most of my professors were very understanding, my ENGL 200 professor made my winter semester even more difficult and stressful than it already was by being far from sympathetic. She removed 40% off of my final essay, as a late penalty; while it was in fact late, this seemed like a harsh punishment considering there was nothing I could have done at the time to have handed it in earlier. Therefore, adjusting the severity of the late penalty, which all other professors had done, would have been appreciated. Additionally, I was not allowed to write the final exam on a different date; this was not even proposed to me by this professor, despite our back and forth emails where I explained my situation. That being said, other students with medical or time zone differences were able to, which clarified that it was a possibility. Finally, I asked this professor if she would like to see a medical note or proof of testing, but she had no interest in seeing any proof. It felt as though I was fighting both, physically and academically, to keep my head above water; my other professors tried to extend a helping hand while, but it felt as though my ENGL 200 professor did not care. Thus, I believe that this mark does not accurately represent where I stand academically, and it frustrates me that it will negatively impact my GPA when I was pushing through a low point. In the fall semester, I also took two other 200 level ENGL courses, and my grades were significantly better than they were by the end of the fall semester and through the winter semester.
Finally, I am handing this appeal in at this late date for two reasons: (1) because it took a while to get a diagnosis and therefore, I did not have proof I had mononucleosis beforehand, (2) due to the fact that I was late to had in several assignments, I had to wait for professors to perform grade changes when I had completed the work. One professor had a difficult time with the grade change which consequently resulted in me receiving my final winter grades at a later date, and (3) because I was simply unaware that this was a possibility.
Thank you,
Julia Johnson
20147365
I am writing to you to inform you of my ongoing health concerns which negatively affected my end of 2020 fall, and 2021 winter semester marks, in the hopes of having my ENGL 200 mark changed to credit standing, and if possible my other winter marks as well.
On November 19th of 2020, I woke up with a really bad sore throat; this pain was unusual as I had never before experienced any throat problems as such. I went to Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston, and after waiting around for several hours I was told that I had tonsillitis and was given Amoxicillin. I was told that in 4-5 days I should feel better. That being said, I did not feel better after 5 days, but I figured I would wait to see my GP when I got back to my home in Montreal, as I was planning to go in a few days.
On December 4th, I saw my GP in Montreal who told me that my tonsils looked swollen and that it was possible that the virus was still in my system. She also told me that it was possible that I had post nasal drip, as a result of the swollen tonsils. Consequently, she prescribed me with Azithromycin, a very strong antibiotic, and Anti-Fluocazole, a nasal spray. I was told that I would be fine in 10 days. I did not feel better after 10 days, so I went back and this time was told to gargle with warm salt water and take it easy, and that I should start to feel better soon.
On January 15th, I still did not feel well so I booked an appointment with an Ears, Nose and Throat specialist who looked at my tonsils and said that they were abrasive due to the excessive use of salt water; she told me to eat ice cream and that I should be fine. At this time I was also dealing with increased anxiety which only added more stress to the situation.
By February 10th, I still was not feeling too well. I still had a sore throat, but now I had begun with ear pain, headaches, and fatigue. I knew it was something, but was getting tired of seeing so many doctors and not getting an answer. So, as I was back in Kingston, I saw a doctor at the Queen's Wellness center who said my tonsils looked red and enlarged. Thus, I took a strep test which came back negative. Additionally, throughout these months I had six COVID-19 tests done to make sure that was not the case; every COVID-19 test I took came back negative.
Due to the fact that the winter semester had already begun and I had no clear diagnosis I was forced to continue with school despite my symptoms. As it was close to impossible for me to keep up I dropped a course, bringing my course load to four instead of five; previously, I had always taken five courses every semester.
On March 9th, I saw another Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who said my tonsils looked swollen; I was prescribed two nasal sprays and was told to use them for a month. That seemed to work temporarily, as it helped with the earaches, but as soon as I stopped using them the earaches came back.
At the end of April, my tonsils flared up and got really bad. I was extremely tired, my throat was so swollen I had a hard time talking, I was getting persistent headaches, and ear pain. I went to the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex in Montreal where I had blood tests done. I was told that I had been dealing with undiagnosed mononucleosis. The doctor looked and me and said,I applaud you for sticking with your studies, that must have been close to impossible; most people take six weeks off school to rest. The mononucleosis diagnosis explained the symptoms, but by the time I got the diagnosis it was already the end of the semester and I had only just received proof of my ongoing physical health issues.
I was not expecting my professors to treat me differently, but I was hoping that they would be understanding of the fact that my situation made it close to impossible for me to get any work done. While most of my professors were very understanding, my ENGL 200 professor made my winter semester even more difficult and stressful than it already was by being far from sympathetic. She removed 40% off of my final essay, as a late penalty; while it was in fact late, this seemed like a harsh punishment considering there was nothing I could have done at the time to have handed it in earlier. Therefore, adjusting the severity of the late penalty, which all other professors had done, would have been appreciated. Additionally, I was not allowed to write the final exam on a different date; this was not even proposed to me by this professor, despite our back and forth emails where I explained my situation. That being said, other students with medical or time zone differences were able to, which clarified that it was a possibility. Finally, I asked this professor if she would like to see a medical note or proof of testing, but she had no interest in seeing any proof. It felt as though I was fighting both, physically and academically, to keep my head above water; my other professors tried to extend a helping hand while, but it felt as though my ENGL 200 professor did not care. Thus, I believe that this mark does not accurately represent where I stand academically, and it frustrates me that it will negatively impact my GPA when I was pushing through a low point. In the fall semester, I also took two other 200 level ENGL courses, and my grades were significantly better than they were by the end of the fall semester and through the winter semester.
Finally, I am handing this appeal in at this late date for two reasons: (1) because it took a while to get a diagnosis and therefore, I did not have proof I had mononucleosis beforehand, (2) due to the fact that I was late to had in several assignments, I had to wait for professors to perform grade changes when I had completed the work. One professor had a difficult time with the grade change which consequently resulted in me receiving my final winter grades at a later date, and (3) because I was simply unaware that this was a possibility.
Thank you,
Julia Johnson
20147365