Petition Letter
Dear Dr. Jenn Stephenson,
I am appealing to drop LISC 171 (Winter, 2021) due to extenuating circumstances I faced during the Winter 2021 term which were beyond my control.
This year has been the most challenging year of my life academically, personally, and emotionally. The extenuating circumstances that I faced this year, including my father¿¿s eviction, grandmother¿¿s ill-health, moving houses, deferred final exam, helping my father move his belongings, and severe mental health challenges have made it impossible for me to complete LISC 171.
Below is a timeline of my extenuating circumstances and how they impacted me academically.
¿¿ My Father¿¿s Eviction (October 6, 2020)
In the fall term, my father was evicted from his home. My dad was high-risk for COVID-19 and lived in poverty. This meant that he only had two options, to be homeless or to move in with my mom and me in our junior one-bedroom apartment. As a result, despite not living with my dad for almost 10 years, my father had no choice but to move in with us. My father¿¿s eviction caused significant mental and emotional distress during the fall term. I experienced great difficulty concentrating on my studies from living in such a crowded and hectic space that was full of distractions. The distractions were caused by my mom working from home full-time and my dad speaking to legal aid services constantly on the phone, both less than 10 metres away from me.
Growing up, my dad was physically, sexually, emotionally, and verbally abusive. My new living circumstances were especially challenging as this was my first time living with my dad in almost 10 years. Many of my suppressed distressing memories of unresolved childhood trauma re-emerged. I constantly experienced trauma triggers throughout the term, which I had to process and work through all while being a full-time student. This was exhausting, draining, and challenging work.
Additionally, both my parents were in a state of severe stress. This high-stress environment had significant implications on my well-being and mental health. I felt so overwhelmed that I regularly had to stay awake until 5 am to meet my deadlines, as nighttime was the only time when things were calmer.
¿¿ My grandmother¿¿s ill-health (December 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021)
In December, my grandmother in Iran became very ill. She developed blood clots in her lungs because of her chronic kidney disease. She was in the ICU for two weeks. With my mom being the oldest sibling in her family, she would often receive dozens of calls about urgent updates regarding my grandmother¿¿s health from 1 am ¿¿ 5 am due to the 8-hour time difference. Since my mom and I shared the same bedroom, we would both be awakened anxiously in the middle of the night, worried that my grandmother¿¿s condition had worsened. This meant that my mom and I could not sleep, were always on edge, and were sleep-deprived throughout the day.
Besides the lack of sleep, I was also my mom¿¿s only source of emotional support. She spent the entire month when my grandmother was sick crying all the time, unable to eat, and experiencing significant stress. She would also share many of her stresses and worries about my grandmother¿¿s health with me. This greatly affected my own wellbeing and mental health as it contributed to significant stress.
¿¿ Deferring my BCHM 218 Final Exam (December 20, 2020)
I had no issues meeting deadlines before my dad moved in with us. However, upon my father¿¿s eviction, the abrupt change in my living circumstances caused me to start falling behind in my classes. Consequently, I had to defer my final exam for BCHM 218. Despite asking my professor if I could write my deferred exam in January, my professor said that the only deferral date was going to be in mid-February, in week 7 of the subsequent term. With my therapist¿¿s help, I made a detailed plan to finish my studying for BCHM before the end of the winter break, allowing me to focus the entirety of the winter term on my new courses.
¿¿ Moving Houses (January 4, 2021)
At the end of December, my mom made a sudden decision to move houses. She realized that we could not continue living the way we were. She saw the emotional and academic impacts that living in a small space with my dad was having on my wellbeing. Despite living comfortably in our apartment for 8 years before my dad¿¿s eviction, in January, we moved into a new apartment. Because my mom decided to move at the end of December, we only had a few days to pack. This was incredibly stressful, as I was suddenly leaving my home of 8 years without having the time to process what was happening. Once we moved into our new apartment, it took a long time for us to get settled. We did not have internet for a week, and we had an unstable home environment.
The unexpected decision to move, the stress of moving, the stress of grandmother¿¿s ill-health, and the lack of internet prevented me from being able to study for my BCHM 218 final exam. The detailed study plan that I had made with my therapist was no longer going to work. Instead, I was going to have to study for my final exam during the Winter term, alongside my other courses.
¿¿ BCHM 218 Final Exam (February 22, 2021)
I became very behind in my studies. I reached out to Student Academic Success Services (SASS) at Queen¿¿s for help. The learning strategies at SASS suggested that I prioritize my hardest courses ¿¿ such as studying for my BCHM 218 final exam, organic chemistry, and my other upper-year classes including BCHM 370, LISC 373 and LISC 471.
Since I was not able to study over the winter break, the learning strategists helped me schedule studying for my BCHM exam during the first six weeks of the year. During those 6 weeks, I prioritized BCHM over my other courses.
However, prioritizing my harder upper-year courses meant that I was not able to dedicate as much time to LISC 171. The learning strategist and I determined that I would have to catch up in LISC 171 after my biochemistry exam and organic chemistry midterm on March 6th.
¿¿ The Drop Deadline (March 5, 2021)
By the time the drop deadline had arrived, I had finished BCHM 218 and was not significantly behind in my other courses. I had also finished my PROF 210 class, leaving me with only 5 classes (compared to my usual 6, which is what I can normally handle being a Con-Ed student). Up until the drop deadline, in LISC 171, I had only received my discussion board grades and they were almost all 100 percent. For these reasons, after great reflection, I thought I could handle my course load especially since most of my stress from my extenuating circumstances had seemed to have finished. Additionally, I had plans of graduating on time. Dropping a course would have changed and deferred my graduation date. As a result, I opted to continue with my 5 courses, as I thought I would be able to handle it and because I thought it would allow me to graduate on time.
¿¿ Helping my Father Move his Belongings (March 7, 2021 to April 20)
Two days after the drop deadline, my dad¿¿s landlord threw out all his belongings and told him he had to come every week to move them out, otherwise, they would be collected by curbside collection. My dad has been clinically diagnosed with hoarding disorder and has enough belongings in his house for ten people. As my family and I live in poverty, we could not afford movers to help with my dad¿¿s move. As a result, my mother and I had no choice but to help my dad move his things every weekend. This took time from my studying and caused me to be even further behind in my studies.
¿¿ My grandmother¿¿s ill-health (March 20, 2021 to Present)
My grandmother had another health scare in the middle of March. She had to return to the ICU again. For the second time, my mother and I are faced with intense anxiety, worrying if she will make it. Just like the previous time my grandmother was sick, we currently receive dozens of calls at night, disturbing our sleep and contributing to unbearable levels of stress.
¿¿ Mental Health Challenges (March 20, 2021 to Present)
At the end of March, we had our second major assignment due for LISC 171. However, I experienced intense anxiety and panic surrounding the assignment, much more severe than what I had ever experienced in the past. My blood pressure was above normal levels for 5 days, my heart was racing from the moment I would wake up, to the moment I would go to bed. For almost two weeks, I was so distraught that I could not be productive in any regard, preventing me from working on other assignments or coursework. Several times, when I went to bed at night, my heart would be racing so fast that I was genuinely scared that I would not wake up in the morning. My mental health challenges were a result of the prolonged stress I experienced throughout the year, as well as the more recent extenuating circumstances from my father¿¿s move and my grandmother¿¿s recent health scare.
I received supporting documentation regarding my circumstances and asked my professor for an incomplete grade ¿¿ with hopes that my condition would improve with time. Now that it is April, one month later, I have tried to complete what is remaining from the course, but I consistently faced intense feelings of panic that have caused significant harmful disfunction, preventing me from functioning normally in my other courses and the other parts of my life. Based on the advice of several healthcare providers, including my therapist and family doctor, I am asking to withdraw from LISC 171.
I am asking to withdraw from LISC 171, and not my other courses because I am incredibly behind in LISC 171. I overestimated how much I could handle this year. Based on the advice of the learning strategists at Queen¿¿s, I prioritized my other upper-year courses, and was not able to dedicate as much time to this elective course. As a result, I am now greatly behind in LISC 171. Unlike my other courses (besides CHEM 282), this course also has a final exam. I have been so overwhelmed with catching up in my required courses, that I have only learned the first two weeks of the course notes. I know that if I continue to remain in the course, I will fail the class.
I overestimated myself this year. I thought I was going to be able to handle this class, and that staying enrolled in it would help me graduate on time. I also did not anticipate the extenuating circumstances I experienced after the drop deadline, including helping my dad move his belongings, my grandmother's ill health, and the severe mental health challenges I experienced due to these personal extenuating circumstances. The extenuating circumstances that occurred after the drop deadline caused me to become even further behind in LISC 171.
I have considered extending my request for an incomplete grade until the end of the summer term, however, I am doubtful that my circumstances will be resolved during the summer. My mother is planning on travelling to Iran to visit my grandmother in May, as she is currently in critical condition. My dad also has the keys to our new apartment. When my mom leaves for Iran, my dad said that he will be coming to stay with me for the summer. I am very worried that the circumstances I experienced in the fall term will repeat themselves. I fear that the incredible stress from living with my dad will prevent me from concentrating on my coursework, hindering me from completing LISC 171.
I have worked incredibly hard throughout the three years of my undergrad to get high grades for graduate school. I do not want extenuating circumstances out of my control, that are a result of living in poverty, being faced with the consequences of an eviction, and ill-health to affect my transcript and prevent me from achieving my goals of pursuing further education.
¿¿ Next Steps (April 26, 2021 to Present)
Since LISC 171 is not a required course (it is neither a core, optional, nor supporting course) for my program, I intend on making up the credit by taking a different elective over the summer of 2022. I have accepted that my graduation date will be deferred to the Fall of 2022. Given the incredible stress that I am facing because of the course, deferring my graduation date to the fall of 2022 is more than a reasonable compromise to make.
My next steps are to continue seeing my therapist and learning strategists at SASS and QSAS. I have already seen two learning strategists this week to reflect on this term and how I can improve for next year. I have spoken to my therapist about the possibility of starting medication for the unmanageable severe anxiety and panic I experienced this term. I intend on speaking to my family doctor later this week about the possibility of starting a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) prescription. I also plan on using this summer to rest and recuperate, to recover from this stressful, unexpected, and challenging year. I think 4 months of rest will provide me with enough time to recover, ensuring that my circumstances will be resolved by the Fall of 2021.
Next year, I plan on enrolling in a full course load, because I believe I can handle it. This year, extenuating circumstances out of my control prevented me from performing optimally in university. Since I will not be living at home next year, I will no longer be affected by the unresolved trauma and other personal stressors that I experienced this year. I am hopeful that next year will be a much smoother year, mentally, emotionally, and academically. I have no doubts that I will be able to handle my academic commitments without any issues.
I hope that you understand my ongoing extenuating circumstances which have caused my severe mental health challenges, preventing me from completing LISC 171.
Attached to this letter, I have included documentation regarding my father¿¿s eviction, email correspondences with my TAs regarding my extenuating circumstances, and appointment confirmations with Student Academic Success Services. If you have any questions regarding my documentation or explanations of my extenuating circumstances that I presented in this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me at any given time.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Bahreinian
I am appealing to drop LISC 171 (Winter, 2021) due to extenuating circumstances I faced during the Winter 2021 term which were beyond my control.
This year has been the most challenging year of my life academically, personally, and emotionally. The extenuating circumstances that I faced this year, including my father¿¿s eviction, grandmother¿¿s ill-health, moving houses, deferred final exam, helping my father move his belongings, and severe mental health challenges have made it impossible for me to complete LISC 171.
Below is a timeline of my extenuating circumstances and how they impacted me academically.
¿¿ My Father¿¿s Eviction (October 6, 2020)
In the fall term, my father was evicted from his home. My dad was high-risk for COVID-19 and lived in poverty. This meant that he only had two options, to be homeless or to move in with my mom and me in our junior one-bedroom apartment. As a result, despite not living with my dad for almost 10 years, my father had no choice but to move in with us. My father¿¿s eviction caused significant mental and emotional distress during the fall term. I experienced great difficulty concentrating on my studies from living in such a crowded and hectic space that was full of distractions. The distractions were caused by my mom working from home full-time and my dad speaking to legal aid services constantly on the phone, both less than 10 metres away from me.
Growing up, my dad was physically, sexually, emotionally, and verbally abusive. My new living circumstances were especially challenging as this was my first time living with my dad in almost 10 years. Many of my suppressed distressing memories of unresolved childhood trauma re-emerged. I constantly experienced trauma triggers throughout the term, which I had to process and work through all while being a full-time student. This was exhausting, draining, and challenging work.
Additionally, both my parents were in a state of severe stress. This high-stress environment had significant implications on my well-being and mental health. I felt so overwhelmed that I regularly had to stay awake until 5 am to meet my deadlines, as nighttime was the only time when things were calmer.
¿¿ My grandmother¿¿s ill-health (December 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021)
In December, my grandmother in Iran became very ill. She developed blood clots in her lungs because of her chronic kidney disease. She was in the ICU for two weeks. With my mom being the oldest sibling in her family, she would often receive dozens of calls about urgent updates regarding my grandmother¿¿s health from 1 am ¿¿ 5 am due to the 8-hour time difference. Since my mom and I shared the same bedroom, we would both be awakened anxiously in the middle of the night, worried that my grandmother¿¿s condition had worsened. This meant that my mom and I could not sleep, were always on edge, and were sleep-deprived throughout the day.
Besides the lack of sleep, I was also my mom¿¿s only source of emotional support. She spent the entire month when my grandmother was sick crying all the time, unable to eat, and experiencing significant stress. She would also share many of her stresses and worries about my grandmother¿¿s health with me. This greatly affected my own wellbeing and mental health as it contributed to significant stress.
¿¿ Deferring my BCHM 218 Final Exam (December 20, 2020)
I had no issues meeting deadlines before my dad moved in with us. However, upon my father¿¿s eviction, the abrupt change in my living circumstances caused me to start falling behind in my classes. Consequently, I had to defer my final exam for BCHM 218. Despite asking my professor if I could write my deferred exam in January, my professor said that the only deferral date was going to be in mid-February, in week 7 of the subsequent term. With my therapist¿¿s help, I made a detailed plan to finish my studying for BCHM before the end of the winter break, allowing me to focus the entirety of the winter term on my new courses.
¿¿ Moving Houses (January 4, 2021)
At the end of December, my mom made a sudden decision to move houses. She realized that we could not continue living the way we were. She saw the emotional and academic impacts that living in a small space with my dad was having on my wellbeing. Despite living comfortably in our apartment for 8 years before my dad¿¿s eviction, in January, we moved into a new apartment. Because my mom decided to move at the end of December, we only had a few days to pack. This was incredibly stressful, as I was suddenly leaving my home of 8 years without having the time to process what was happening. Once we moved into our new apartment, it took a long time for us to get settled. We did not have internet for a week, and we had an unstable home environment.
The unexpected decision to move, the stress of moving, the stress of grandmother¿¿s ill-health, and the lack of internet prevented me from being able to study for my BCHM 218 final exam. The detailed study plan that I had made with my therapist was no longer going to work. Instead, I was going to have to study for my final exam during the Winter term, alongside my other courses.
¿¿ BCHM 218 Final Exam (February 22, 2021)
I became very behind in my studies. I reached out to Student Academic Success Services (SASS) at Queen¿¿s for help. The learning strategies at SASS suggested that I prioritize my hardest courses ¿¿ such as studying for my BCHM 218 final exam, organic chemistry, and my other upper-year classes including BCHM 370, LISC 373 and LISC 471.
Since I was not able to study over the winter break, the learning strategists helped me schedule studying for my BCHM exam during the first six weeks of the year. During those 6 weeks, I prioritized BCHM over my other courses.
However, prioritizing my harder upper-year courses meant that I was not able to dedicate as much time to LISC 171. The learning strategist and I determined that I would have to catch up in LISC 171 after my biochemistry exam and organic chemistry midterm on March 6th.
¿¿ The Drop Deadline (March 5, 2021)
By the time the drop deadline had arrived, I had finished BCHM 218 and was not significantly behind in my other courses. I had also finished my PROF 210 class, leaving me with only 5 classes (compared to my usual 6, which is what I can normally handle being a Con-Ed student). Up until the drop deadline, in LISC 171, I had only received my discussion board grades and they were almost all 100 percent. For these reasons, after great reflection, I thought I could handle my course load especially since most of my stress from my extenuating circumstances had seemed to have finished. Additionally, I had plans of graduating on time. Dropping a course would have changed and deferred my graduation date. As a result, I opted to continue with my 5 courses, as I thought I would be able to handle it and because I thought it would allow me to graduate on time.
¿¿ Helping my Father Move his Belongings (March 7, 2021 to April 20)
Two days after the drop deadline, my dad¿¿s landlord threw out all his belongings and told him he had to come every week to move them out, otherwise, they would be collected by curbside collection. My dad has been clinically diagnosed with hoarding disorder and has enough belongings in his house for ten people. As my family and I live in poverty, we could not afford movers to help with my dad¿¿s move. As a result, my mother and I had no choice but to help my dad move his things every weekend. This took time from my studying and caused me to be even further behind in my studies.
¿¿ My grandmother¿¿s ill-health (March 20, 2021 to Present)
My grandmother had another health scare in the middle of March. She had to return to the ICU again. For the second time, my mother and I are faced with intense anxiety, worrying if she will make it. Just like the previous time my grandmother was sick, we currently receive dozens of calls at night, disturbing our sleep and contributing to unbearable levels of stress.
¿¿ Mental Health Challenges (March 20, 2021 to Present)
At the end of March, we had our second major assignment due for LISC 171. However, I experienced intense anxiety and panic surrounding the assignment, much more severe than what I had ever experienced in the past. My blood pressure was above normal levels for 5 days, my heart was racing from the moment I would wake up, to the moment I would go to bed. For almost two weeks, I was so distraught that I could not be productive in any regard, preventing me from working on other assignments or coursework. Several times, when I went to bed at night, my heart would be racing so fast that I was genuinely scared that I would not wake up in the morning. My mental health challenges were a result of the prolonged stress I experienced throughout the year, as well as the more recent extenuating circumstances from my father¿¿s move and my grandmother¿¿s recent health scare.
I received supporting documentation regarding my circumstances and asked my professor for an incomplete grade ¿¿ with hopes that my condition would improve with time. Now that it is April, one month later, I have tried to complete what is remaining from the course, but I consistently faced intense feelings of panic that have caused significant harmful disfunction, preventing me from functioning normally in my other courses and the other parts of my life. Based on the advice of several healthcare providers, including my therapist and family doctor, I am asking to withdraw from LISC 171.
I am asking to withdraw from LISC 171, and not my other courses because I am incredibly behind in LISC 171. I overestimated how much I could handle this year. Based on the advice of the learning strategists at Queen¿¿s, I prioritized my other upper-year courses, and was not able to dedicate as much time to this elective course. As a result, I am now greatly behind in LISC 171. Unlike my other courses (besides CHEM 282), this course also has a final exam. I have been so overwhelmed with catching up in my required courses, that I have only learned the first two weeks of the course notes. I know that if I continue to remain in the course, I will fail the class.
I overestimated myself this year. I thought I was going to be able to handle this class, and that staying enrolled in it would help me graduate on time. I also did not anticipate the extenuating circumstances I experienced after the drop deadline, including helping my dad move his belongings, my grandmother's ill health, and the severe mental health challenges I experienced due to these personal extenuating circumstances. The extenuating circumstances that occurred after the drop deadline caused me to become even further behind in LISC 171.
I have considered extending my request for an incomplete grade until the end of the summer term, however, I am doubtful that my circumstances will be resolved during the summer. My mother is planning on travelling to Iran to visit my grandmother in May, as she is currently in critical condition. My dad also has the keys to our new apartment. When my mom leaves for Iran, my dad said that he will be coming to stay with me for the summer. I am very worried that the circumstances I experienced in the fall term will repeat themselves. I fear that the incredible stress from living with my dad will prevent me from concentrating on my coursework, hindering me from completing LISC 171.
I have worked incredibly hard throughout the three years of my undergrad to get high grades for graduate school. I do not want extenuating circumstances out of my control, that are a result of living in poverty, being faced with the consequences of an eviction, and ill-health to affect my transcript and prevent me from achieving my goals of pursuing further education.
¿¿ Next Steps (April 26, 2021 to Present)
Since LISC 171 is not a required course (it is neither a core, optional, nor supporting course) for my program, I intend on making up the credit by taking a different elective over the summer of 2022. I have accepted that my graduation date will be deferred to the Fall of 2022. Given the incredible stress that I am facing because of the course, deferring my graduation date to the fall of 2022 is more than a reasonable compromise to make.
My next steps are to continue seeing my therapist and learning strategists at SASS and QSAS. I have already seen two learning strategists this week to reflect on this term and how I can improve for next year. I have spoken to my therapist about the possibility of starting medication for the unmanageable severe anxiety and panic I experienced this term. I intend on speaking to my family doctor later this week about the possibility of starting a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) prescription. I also plan on using this summer to rest and recuperate, to recover from this stressful, unexpected, and challenging year. I think 4 months of rest will provide me with enough time to recover, ensuring that my circumstances will be resolved by the Fall of 2021.
Next year, I plan on enrolling in a full course load, because I believe I can handle it. This year, extenuating circumstances out of my control prevented me from performing optimally in university. Since I will not be living at home next year, I will no longer be affected by the unresolved trauma and other personal stressors that I experienced this year. I am hopeful that next year will be a much smoother year, mentally, emotionally, and academically. I have no doubts that I will be able to handle my academic commitments without any issues.
I hope that you understand my ongoing extenuating circumstances which have caused my severe mental health challenges, preventing me from completing LISC 171.
Attached to this letter, I have included documentation regarding my father¿¿s eviction, email correspondences with my TAs regarding my extenuating circumstances, and appointment confirmations with Student Academic Success Services. If you have any questions regarding my documentation or explanations of my extenuating circumstances that I presented in this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me at any given time.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Bahreinian