Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

My name is Briana Priolo and I am in my 3rd year of studies here at Queens University. I am majoring in Sociology and minoring in Gender Studies; graduating in 2024.

I began my first year at Queens at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Due to the circumstances of Covid-19, my studies during my first year were remote and so I completed that year strictly from home with the plan of moving to Kingston the following September. My second year of University began with classes being delivered online, however I still moved to Kingston where I lived in a house with 6 other girls. Completing my studies online allowed me the flexibility to visit home when needed and because of this I spent December until the beginning of March strictly at home. At this point, I was already exhibiting signs of severe anxiety from being on Campus leading up to the Christmas break. The anxiety was mainly attributed to being away from home but also tied to a diagnosed phobia along with newfound anxieties.

I am currently back in Kingston for my third year and was truly optimistic I would return with new strategies as a way to cope because I had spent time in Kingston the year prior, however I have come to realize that being away from home and being separated from my support system is taking a serious toll on my mental, physical and emotional health. The challenges I am facing have me concerned that it will start to affect my studies, so I am hoping to find a solution that will allow me to stay in school to complete my degree without it affecting my ability to graduate.

To provide some background, I have struggled with general anxiety and have been diagnosed with Emetophobia (the intense fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit) since Kindergarten. Due to my phobia forming at such a young age, I developed a strong support system at home that allowed me to move past obstacles without my anxiety worsening or my mental health suffering. It was a long journey, but overtime I was able to reach a point where I had a fair sense of control over my anxiety and was able to manage my episodes and panic attacks. Upon arriving in Kingston this year, however, I have noticed a steady decrease in that control and have become progressively more anxious. My patterning, a symptom with OCD tendencies that has come as a product of my anxiety, has also escalated making it difficult to move forward and focus on my academic goals as well as complete the most basic tasks.

Some of this anxiety stems from Emetophobia and the constant interaction I have had with sickness due to the lifestyle of many university students, but the anxieties have also increased due to the permanence of living away and the distance from my family. I feel increasingly lonely, sad, anxious, and find myself self-isolating despite being around friends, some of whom I have known for 6+ years. I tried to manage all of this throughout my second year, however I feel the only reason I was able to cope and maintain my grades was due to the flexibility that online school provided during a large portion of the past school year.

For these reasons I feel that it would be beneficial to both my mental health as well as my academics if I were to be given permission to return home for the winter term as well as my fourth year to complete my undergraduate studies. It saddens me to have to leave Queens and the community of people I have built relationships with, as I have thoroughly enjoyed the in-person academics, but I am able to recognize where these feelings stem from, and so for this reason I am appealing to you as I come to terms with my situation and look for a solution that will make me feel whole again.

I first looked to pursue my classes online as a means to remain on Campus while giving me the flexibility to return home when needed but unfortunately Sociology does not offer online courses. For this reason, I am writing to appeal for permission to become a visiting student at York University, for the 2023 Winter semester as well as my final year. When I was presented with this option, I saw it as an opportunity to remain in school so I could still work towards my BA honors degree, which would also give me the opportunity to take online elective courses from Queens to remain connected to my professors and the community all while completing my studies from home. I feel as though this path would be beneficial for me as I have completed all but one prerequisite which I plan to take online from Queens in the Fall 2023 semester.

Completing my degree is of great importance to me and while it would be ideal to try to complete it while attending Queens University, I am not confident I will be able to do that with the way I have been feeling and the challenges I have been facing. I have considered every option including taking a leave of absence, putting my degree on hold and on my worst days, dropping out of school entirely. These are not options that I feel would be best for me and I have worked very hard over the past two years in order to get to where I am today. I have completed my prerequisites and worked hard to make the Dean??s list and it is my desire to continue forward and complete my studies, but require your consideration in order to make that possible.

I realize the importance of completing my degree and what it means for my future. I feel it is in my best interest to return home in time for the Winter semester therefore I am asking for your consideration in allowing me to complete the remainder of my third and fourth year as a visiting student at York University.

My conversation with Ms. Spring Forsberg, Academic Advisor, was instrumental in helping me see a way forward. The option of completing my studies from home has given me hope that my challenges will not deter me from reaching my goals. Returning home would mean I would be able to reconnect with my Psychologist who has returned to in person appointments only, and I would be able to start the process of counselling immediately.

Given the above mentioned reasons I am appealing to you for this consideration and look forward to hearing from you at the earliest.

Sincerely,

Briana Priolo