Petition Letter
Dear Members of the Board of Studies,
In this letter I will be applying for a credit standing in SOCY210 in the form of a CR or credit. I am requesting a credit standing due to the extenuating circumstances I faced during this past semester, as I feel as if I was not faced with these challenges which were beyond my control I could have performed exceedingly better in the course.
Starting in September my housemate who is a very close friend of mine began behaving in a way that was alarming, she stopped attending all her classes and was not able to spend time or be in the house alone. She had then told me she was cutting herself and making herself throw up, like anyone I was very concerned. About a week later she called me into the bathroom where I walked in to see her cutting herself and bleeding unto the floor. From this moment forward I felt a responsibility to be there for her and feared what would happen if I was not. I began to experience anxiety when leaving her home alone in fear she would continue to hurt herself. Following this incident, she asked me various times to remove the sharp objects in her room to which I would find kitchen knives she had hidden around her bedroom. My other housemates saw her depression as an inconvenience to them and would not come home for days at a time leaving me alone to shoulder the situation. I made attempts to better the environment for both her and I, I spent a few days digging and searching for her mom or dad's phone number in order to get in contact with them. As well as spending many nights trying to talk her into opening to her family or a doctor. I tried my best to keep up with my readings which were a big part of SOCY210 but at this point she had latched onto me. If I was not home right after class I would receive a series of calls and texts from her in a panic, when I said I was going to the library she would say she needed to come too, when I tried to work quietly in my own room she would knock on my door every 5-10 minutes no matter how many times I locked the door or told her I needed a little time to focus. She became very attached to me to the point where she would even follow me into the bathroom, no matter where I went or what I was trying to do I would not be left alone. I feel that I tried everything I could to better the situation without pushing her over the edge, worrying about her was something I could not stop doing. After witnessing her harm herself I was traumatized and am still unable to fully grasp the situation. Even though I was able to contact her parents they were little to no help and I was again the only one left helping her through this difficulty. As my anxiety ran higher, I decided I needed to move houses next year as the situation was clearly not getting better and my housemates were refusing to help in any way. So, while trying my best to keep up with my classes, and keep her safe, I was also looking for houses and someone to live with. I even got help for myself once I saw how this situation was affecting my grades and ability to focus. Upon seeing academic advisor Heather Carter on November 21st, she immediately recommended I speak to a counselor and in fact booked me an appointment with Allison LaVigne while I was there because I believe she noticed how much I was struggling.
In the middle of all this, I was also faced with my own personal struggles due to health matters. In October I found a lump in my breast and immediately saw a doctor on October 17th. Over the next month or so I had various phone calls and another appointment which determined I needed a biopsy done on the mass which was performed on November 1st. When finally receiving the results, I was told it was something I would have to continue to monitor and have checked by medical professionals. This was then another thing I had and will continue to have to worry about, and something I had to keep to myself in an attempt to not add stress to an environment that was already stress filled.
SOCY210 entails many required readings which are to be completed before attending lecture and although I made this class a priority and attended each lecture, theses situations made my evenings and weekends very complicated and most times unproductive due to my inability to focus. Evenings and weekends being the time once I was out of class and had the opportunity to complete my textbook readings this set me back in my ability to fully understand and be confident in my knowledge of the course. If I was not struggling with the overwhelming thoughts of my health, the health of my friend, and the duty placed upon me to care for my friend after witnessing her harm herself I would have been better able to focus on and absorb the course material I tried relentlessly to keep up with.
Best Regards,
Julia Joseph
In this letter I will be applying for a credit standing in SOCY210 in the form of a CR or credit. I am requesting a credit standing due to the extenuating circumstances I faced during this past semester, as I feel as if I was not faced with these challenges which were beyond my control I could have performed exceedingly better in the course.
Starting in September my housemate who is a very close friend of mine began behaving in a way that was alarming, she stopped attending all her classes and was not able to spend time or be in the house alone. She had then told me she was cutting herself and making herself throw up, like anyone I was very concerned. About a week later she called me into the bathroom where I walked in to see her cutting herself and bleeding unto the floor. From this moment forward I felt a responsibility to be there for her and feared what would happen if I was not. I began to experience anxiety when leaving her home alone in fear she would continue to hurt herself. Following this incident, she asked me various times to remove the sharp objects in her room to which I would find kitchen knives she had hidden around her bedroom. My other housemates saw her depression as an inconvenience to them and would not come home for days at a time leaving me alone to shoulder the situation. I made attempts to better the environment for both her and I, I spent a few days digging and searching for her mom or dad's phone number in order to get in contact with them. As well as spending many nights trying to talk her into opening to her family or a doctor. I tried my best to keep up with my readings which were a big part of SOCY210 but at this point she had latched onto me. If I was not home right after class I would receive a series of calls and texts from her in a panic, when I said I was going to the library she would say she needed to come too, when I tried to work quietly in my own room she would knock on my door every 5-10 minutes no matter how many times I locked the door or told her I needed a little time to focus. She became very attached to me to the point where she would even follow me into the bathroom, no matter where I went or what I was trying to do I would not be left alone. I feel that I tried everything I could to better the situation without pushing her over the edge, worrying about her was something I could not stop doing. After witnessing her harm herself I was traumatized and am still unable to fully grasp the situation. Even though I was able to contact her parents they were little to no help and I was again the only one left helping her through this difficulty. As my anxiety ran higher, I decided I needed to move houses next year as the situation was clearly not getting better and my housemates were refusing to help in any way. So, while trying my best to keep up with my classes, and keep her safe, I was also looking for houses and someone to live with. I even got help for myself once I saw how this situation was affecting my grades and ability to focus. Upon seeing academic advisor Heather Carter on November 21st, she immediately recommended I speak to a counselor and in fact booked me an appointment with Allison LaVigne while I was there because I believe she noticed how much I was struggling.
In the middle of all this, I was also faced with my own personal struggles due to health matters. In October I found a lump in my breast and immediately saw a doctor on October 17th. Over the next month or so I had various phone calls and another appointment which determined I needed a biopsy done on the mass which was performed on November 1st. When finally receiving the results, I was told it was something I would have to continue to monitor and have checked by medical professionals. This was then another thing I had and will continue to have to worry about, and something I had to keep to myself in an attempt to not add stress to an environment that was already stress filled.
SOCY210 entails many required readings which are to be completed before attending lecture and although I made this class a priority and attended each lecture, theses situations made my evenings and weekends very complicated and most times unproductive due to my inability to focus. Evenings and weekends being the time once I was out of class and had the opportunity to complete my textbook readings this set me back in my ability to fully understand and be confident in my knowledge of the course. If I was not struggling with the overwhelming thoughts of my health, the health of my friend, and the duty placed upon me to care for my friend after witnessing her harm herself I would have been better able to focus on and absorb the course material I tried relentlessly to keep up with.
Best Regards,
Julia Joseph