Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean,
I am appealing to drop MUSC 205 that started the winter term of 2018. I have been feeling overwhelmed with school due to events that have happened in my personal life. The first issue was me unable to process the sexual assault I experienced here at Queen's, and the second being my best friend and his mother both attempting to commit suicide in January of 2018. Ever since the start of second semester those two occurrences in my life have stopped me from being emotionally stable enough to interact with people, this includes class interaction and communication with my professors. I have always struggled with my mental health ever since my first year here at Queen's but I have never experienced events I could not control until 2018 started. On Wednesday, February 28th, 2018 I opened up to my professor (Dr. Copla) of MUSC 205 about my struggles through an academic consideration form. Dr. Copla believed in me and gave me the support I never imagined I'd ever get. My midterm for that class was delayed for me, but while doing my midterm in March I had an anxiety attack and could not finish. I only want to drop this course because even though I am struggling in all of my other courses due to my mental health, this is the only course that is not offered next year. I cannot make up my mark and it will stay on my transcript because this is a mandatory course for my program (B.mus). I did not drop before the deadline because I felt like that wasn't an option. My parents don't know anything about my mental health and I did not want them to worry or to waste their money because I could not finish a course. Coming from an Asian family there is pressure to get the best grades and to be academically successful no matter what.
Mental health is something I was not familiar with, my parents are not knowledgeable on the subject and have never talked or taught me about this topic. I have been struggling to write this letter because recently I've opened up to my mom about my mental health and she could not understand me. I was discouraged because the person dearest to me didn't believe me. I have learned that thinking like this is wrong, my mother might be the hardest person to explain my mental health to because of many reasons. As an immigrate the biggest struggle my mother had was not mental health but instead being able to put food on the table for her and her brother. Our language barrier, difference in culture and age, make it difficult to agree on things, including mental health. I have reached out to many profs and TA's ever since I opened up to Dr. Copla and got a positive response from him. I have gotten support from Dr. Tormann and Dr. Zuk from the music department, Dr. Cameron and Jon Arrssen from the geography department, and my piano professor Tom Davidson. Along the way I have had one professor who did not think I deserved accommodation, but it was because I was afraid to open up to him for a long time. This particular professor did not realize how uncomfortable a student felt in class when he put her on the spot and she cried and left the classroom. He understood only after she left that what he did was the wrong way to approach things, and apologized to the class about the incident. I am writing about this incident because for a long time I was scared of how people would respond to my mental health, but I cannot control how others view me. Whether it is a professor, friend, or my own mother, all I can do is try my best to reach out to others when I need help, and to not blame myself if others do not believe me or understand me. I have come a long way to grow this much in the way I think thanks to my supportive friends and counsellor. I still get extremely stressed, sad, and anxious sometimes but now I know better ways to deal with my feelings. I never want to experience this overwhelming amount of sadness ever again, and I believe going to counselling and taking a lighter course load will help me. During the winter semester of 2018 I took 7 courses to try to catch up because I was struggling with my physical health last year and could not complete two courses, but now I know that isn't the right solution. I have decided with my academic advisor to take an extra year so I can take 4 courses per term. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration, if you need any proof of support from the professors I have mentioned feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Vicki Go
I am appealing to drop MUSC 205 that started the winter term of 2018. I have been feeling overwhelmed with school due to events that have happened in my personal life. The first issue was me unable to process the sexual assault I experienced here at Queen's, and the second being my best friend and his mother both attempting to commit suicide in January of 2018. Ever since the start of second semester those two occurrences in my life have stopped me from being emotionally stable enough to interact with people, this includes class interaction and communication with my professors. I have always struggled with my mental health ever since my first year here at Queen's but I have never experienced events I could not control until 2018 started. On Wednesday, February 28th, 2018 I opened up to my professor (Dr. Copla) of MUSC 205 about my struggles through an academic consideration form. Dr. Copla believed in me and gave me the support I never imagined I'd ever get. My midterm for that class was delayed for me, but while doing my midterm in March I had an anxiety attack and could not finish. I only want to drop this course because even though I am struggling in all of my other courses due to my mental health, this is the only course that is not offered next year. I cannot make up my mark and it will stay on my transcript because this is a mandatory course for my program (B.mus). I did not drop before the deadline because I felt like that wasn't an option. My parents don't know anything about my mental health and I did not want them to worry or to waste their money because I could not finish a course. Coming from an Asian family there is pressure to get the best grades and to be academically successful no matter what.
Mental health is something I was not familiar with, my parents are not knowledgeable on the subject and have never talked or taught me about this topic. I have been struggling to write this letter because recently I've opened up to my mom about my mental health and she could not understand me. I was discouraged because the person dearest to me didn't believe me. I have learned that thinking like this is wrong, my mother might be the hardest person to explain my mental health to because of many reasons. As an immigrate the biggest struggle my mother had was not mental health but instead being able to put food on the table for her and her brother. Our language barrier, difference in culture and age, make it difficult to agree on things, including mental health. I have reached out to many profs and TA's ever since I opened up to Dr. Copla and got a positive response from him. I have gotten support from Dr. Tormann and Dr. Zuk from the music department, Dr. Cameron and Jon Arrssen from the geography department, and my piano professor Tom Davidson. Along the way I have had one professor who did not think I deserved accommodation, but it was because I was afraid to open up to him for a long time. This particular professor did not realize how uncomfortable a student felt in class when he put her on the spot and she cried and left the classroom. He understood only after she left that what he did was the wrong way to approach things, and apologized to the class about the incident. I am writing about this incident because for a long time I was scared of how people would respond to my mental health, but I cannot control how others view me. Whether it is a professor, friend, or my own mother, all I can do is try my best to reach out to others when I need help, and to not blame myself if others do not believe me or understand me. I have come a long way to grow this much in the way I think thanks to my supportive friends and counsellor. I still get extremely stressed, sad, and anxious sometimes but now I know better ways to deal with my feelings. I never want to experience this overwhelming amount of sadness ever again, and I believe going to counselling and taking a lighter course load will help me. During the winter semester of 2018 I took 7 courses to try to catch up because I was struggling with my physical health last year and could not complete two courses, but now I know that isn't the right solution. I have decided with my academic advisor to take an extra year so I can take 4 courses per term. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration, if you need any proof of support from the professors I have mentioned feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Vicki Go