Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Appeal Letter

Luke Rawlinson ?? ST(20107059)

Written for:

Jenn Stephenson (Associate Dean)



Foreword

Hello, I am writing this letter to explain the extenuating circumstances that have led me to my academic standing at Queen??s and to apologize for the lack of transparency and professionalism that has brought me to this position. I suffered from non-suicidal self-injury for two years. I was extremely secretive about this, keeping it from loved ones, family, friends, and professors. I will include the process I have gone through with my treatment and my plan for success academically in the following year if I am allowed to continue my studies. I am writing this letter as the last part of my self-help plan that I began at the beginning of January.



Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

After my second year at Queen??s, I had a traumatic experience and I began cutting, burning, and scratching myself to cope with my emotional pain. This translated into my studies as I began studying online. My mental illness grew worse as time passed and I continued to self-harm and punish myself. I could not keep up academically and was living with the one involved in the event that caused me so much mental stress and pain. After the year online I was struggling mentally due to my poor academic performance and my mental illness got worse. I had scars all over my arms and legs from the burning and cutting. I shut myself away from others so that they would not see what I had done to myself. I would harm myself at night while others were sleeping so if I were to bleed or cry they would not notice. I punished myself every day for almost an entire year. My illness continued over the summer, and I did not have the strength to tell my parents what I had done. When school began in 2021 I was retaking my classes and living in the same place as before. In November 2021, I was self-harming and the weight of what I was doing to my body gave me an anxiety attack. I woke up my friend and asked for help. This friend is close with me and my family and confided what he had seen with them. I then went home for a while and told my family everything. I started my self-help plan in January and ever since then I have become so much healthier mentally, physically and socially.



Self-Help Plan

My first step was to talk about what I had done and admit to myself that I had used self-harm to cope with emotional stress and pain. Physically by burning, cutting, and scratching myself. My family was incredibly supportive and helped me begin to feel better. With their help I started a daily routine and began to better my physical health. This helped with my depression. Whenever I had the urge to cut or burn, I would wake up my dad, who has experience dealing with serious mental health issues, and we would talk about why I was feeling this urge. I began writing more to express my emotions in a way where I could see them and analyze them. This gave me clarity on why the thoughts I was having were illogical and self-destructive. I also rid myself of the individual I was living with at school who continued to harass me. In the next school year, I will have a completely new place to live and have a fresh start. I have now come to terms with the reality of my past. I am ready to dedicate myself to something and give everything I have towards improving my academic standing. I enjoy studying and I would like to continue doing so with the support systems I now have at queens. My support systems being the student mental health services at Queen??s of which I will attend regularly, my friend who I am living with whom I first confided my self-harm illness with, my parents, and my sister who suffered a severe mental illness while attending school as well and has helped me immensely in the healing process.