Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 10578
Submitted: May 28, 2023 at 12:28:59 PM
First Name: Annick
Last Name: Levison
Pronoun: She/Her
Student Number: 20283723
Email: 20aebl@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BSH
Plan: BIOL
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline, Waive the requirement to withdraw for one year
Code: PHYS 115
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: CHEM 222
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: MICR 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,
I am petitioning the Faculty's requirement that I withdraw from Queen's for one year. In addition, I am petitioning to drop PHYS 115, CHEM 222 and MICR 221 after the academic deadline.
This past academic year, I was bullied by one of my roommates which led to severe anxiety, a loss of confidence, a fear of being in my own house, and an inability to sleep. This had a significant negative effect on my marks.
The problems began in late October when one of my roommates asked for money to pay for monthly parking for her car in exchange for occasional rides. My other roommates felt compelled to accept, but since I already had a bus pass and I have a tight budget, I declined. That's when the problems began.
Her initial reaction was to get angry, slam her hands on the table in front of me, and yell at me. That was followed by a variety of forms of harassment, which were solely directed at me.
None of the other roommates, whom I'd previously considered to be friends, confronted her about her unacceptable behavior, nor did they express any form of support for me. They simply remained silent, which led me to feel abandoned by my friends.
I have pre-existing anxiety issues and these began to worsen as the first semester progressed due to the dynamic in the house.
The harassment was constant. I would be in the kitchen preparing my food and she would come out of her room and start yelling at me. When I retreated to my room, I could hear her yelling to my other roommates about me. She would attack me on our house group chat. It got to a point where I had to block her on social platforms and leave the house group chat.
My health slowly deteriorated. I would have moments where I would get so dizzy, I would need to lie down and close my eyes. I also began to suffer from insomnia. There were mornings where I would wake up and I could not get myself out of bed.
The constant berating and yelling had a significant impact on my confidence. Nonetheless, I thought I could manage the situation by studying in the library to avoid being around her. I would only come home to cook and sleep. I would also tiptoe around common areas to avoid her knowing that I was out of my room.
When her constant harassment and bullying in the kitchen made it difficult for me to make meals in peace, I bought a mini fridge for my room so that I could have access to food without entering the common areas.
I also bought noise-cancelling headphones to try to block out her constant yelling. They helped, but nothing ever blocked out the sound of her constant verbal attacks.
I considered leaving but financially I was stuck. I'd signed a one-year lease and I had nowhere else to go. I genuinely thought that I could cope with the situation by using the strategies I mentioned above. I did not appreciate the impact on my mental health until it was too late.
My anxiety was so high that I often felt nauseated and would throw up during exams. I would study for hours, yet little sank in. Concepts that I thought I had learned would escape me in a fog of anxiety during tests.
All my courses suffered except for one, CISC 151, for which I received many hours of tutoring from my dad who has a degree in computing science. Without his help and support, I would likely not have done well in that course, just like the others for which I had no support.
After seeing the results of the marks from the first semester, I realized the extent to which the bullying had affected my mental health and my academics. I sought help. I found a psychotherapist and we started to work together on a weekly basis in February. She has been helping me to develop coping skills and strategies to deal with bullies and to start to rebuild my self-confidence.
I was also able to find another house. I moved into the new place on April 23rd, finally leaving the toxic house and the bully behind. That had an immediate positive impact on my mental health.
Unfortunately, the year's events significantly affected my academics, hence my request.
My psychotherapist has provided a letter confirming the reason for our work together.
I sincerely hope to return to my studies in September of 2023. I am currently working on strategies to do so successfully.
Sincerely,
Annick Levison
I am petitioning the Faculty's requirement that I withdraw from Queen's for one year. In addition, I am petitioning to drop PHYS 115, CHEM 222 and MICR 221 after the academic deadline.
This past academic year, I was bullied by one of my roommates which led to severe anxiety, a loss of confidence, a fear of being in my own house, and an inability to sleep. This had a significant negative effect on my marks.
The problems began in late October when one of my roommates asked for money to pay for monthly parking for her car in exchange for occasional rides. My other roommates felt compelled to accept, but since I already had a bus pass and I have a tight budget, I declined. That's when the problems began.
Her initial reaction was to get angry, slam her hands on the table in front of me, and yell at me. That was followed by a variety of forms of harassment, which were solely directed at me.
None of the other roommates, whom I'd previously considered to be friends, confronted her about her unacceptable behavior, nor did they express any form of support for me. They simply remained silent, which led me to feel abandoned by my friends.
I have pre-existing anxiety issues and these began to worsen as the first semester progressed due to the dynamic in the house.
The harassment was constant. I would be in the kitchen preparing my food and she would come out of her room and start yelling at me. When I retreated to my room, I could hear her yelling to my other roommates about me. She would attack me on our house group chat. It got to a point where I had to block her on social platforms and leave the house group chat.
My health slowly deteriorated. I would have moments where I would get so dizzy, I would need to lie down and close my eyes. I also began to suffer from insomnia. There were mornings where I would wake up and I could not get myself out of bed.
The constant berating and yelling had a significant impact on my confidence. Nonetheless, I thought I could manage the situation by studying in the library to avoid being around her. I would only come home to cook and sleep. I would also tiptoe around common areas to avoid her knowing that I was out of my room.
When her constant harassment and bullying in the kitchen made it difficult for me to make meals in peace, I bought a mini fridge for my room so that I could have access to food without entering the common areas.
I also bought noise-cancelling headphones to try to block out her constant yelling. They helped, but nothing ever blocked out the sound of her constant verbal attacks.
I considered leaving but financially I was stuck. I'd signed a one-year lease and I had nowhere else to go. I genuinely thought that I could cope with the situation by using the strategies I mentioned above. I did not appreciate the impact on my mental health until it was too late.
My anxiety was so high that I often felt nauseated and would throw up during exams. I would study for hours, yet little sank in. Concepts that I thought I had learned would escape me in a fog of anxiety during tests.
All my courses suffered except for one, CISC 151, for which I received many hours of tutoring from my dad who has a degree in computing science. Without his help and support, I would likely not have done well in that course, just like the others for which I had no support.
After seeing the results of the marks from the first semester, I realized the extent to which the bullying had affected my mental health and my academics. I sought help. I found a psychotherapist and we started to work together on a weekly basis in February. She has been helping me to develop coping skills and strategies to deal with bullies and to start to rebuild my self-confidence.
I was also able to find another house. I moved into the new place on April 23rd, finally leaving the toxic house and the bully behind. That had an immediate positive impact on my mental health.
Unfortunately, the year's events significantly affected my academics, hence my request.
My psychotherapist has provided a letter confirming the reason for our work together.
I sincerely hope to return to my studies in September of 2023. I am currently working on strategies to do so successfully.
Sincerely,
Annick Levison
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: Dear Associate Dean,
I sincerely wish to continue my studies at Queen's in September of 2023. I am providing the following Academic Plan outlining the steps I have taken to date and those that I will take moving forward to help me succeed in the coming year.
My Academic Plan:
1. The first and most important step I took to deal with my situation was to start working with a psychotherapist, Aisley McCarthy.
I had weekly appointments with Aisley to help me get through the second semester. I am now working with her on a bi-weekly basis for the foreseeable future. She is helping me rebuild my confidence and develop coping skills that I can use when I feel my anxiety flare up.
Aisley is helping me set healthy boundaries in my everyday relationships and ensure that those boundaries are respected. We are working to build my resilience so that I am not as deeply affected by negative events that will inevitably happen.
Together, we are developing strategies to prevent further bullying. I will continue to work with Aisley throughout the school year.
2. I moved to a new house with a new set of roommates who have no attachments to my previous roommates. The latter are no longer a part of my life. My living environment is now a positive one.
3. I booked an appointment with SASS to help me learn strategies for better notetaking, time management, coping mechanisms for stress, and exam studying tips. My first appointment is Monday, May 29th.
4. I plan to access SASS's services for the summer and continue to make use of them throughout the 2023-2024 school year.
5. I have decided to pursue a different program after a conversation with an academic advisor. When I was in high school, I was convinced I wanted to pursue a degree in Biochemistry. I have always loved, and done well in, Biology. Chemistry was my weakest mark in high school, but I loved my teacher. As a result, I thought that I would love Biochemistry. After reflecting on the results of the past two years and how I felt about each course, I have come to realize that I do not enjoy Chemistry and Physics. My interest is in Biology.
After seeing my final grades, I made an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss my options. We explored the option of taking Biology as a major to ensure that I am only taking courses I enjoy.
6. I plan to take 3 or 4 courses instead of 5 in the coming year. I will evaluate the best choice with an advisor.
7. I have started to go to the gym daily to work out. I began during the winter term to offset the stress I was experiencing. I have purchased a membership to ARC for the summer. This is helping me to remain healthy and better deal with stress.
8. I did well in my computer science course in the winter, as mentioned in Part 1 of my Petition. My father acted as a tutor who helped me understand the material and work through blocks. My final grade for that course was an A-. This is a testament to what I'm capable of when I get the support I need. My work with SASS will help me improve my study and exam preparation skills. If need be, I will work with an ASUS tutor for a course if I find that I'm having difficulty with the material.
9. I am taking two summer courses, PSYC 100 and PATH 120, and I'm enjoying them. The work is going well. I have a study schedule that I maintain faithfully.
10. For current and future courses, I will seek help from the course professors and T.A.'s to ensure that I remain on track.
11. I've just learned that there is a Peer Mentor program at Queen's. The link is currently not working. I will sign up for this program as soon as the link is functional.
12. Once I have the result of the Petition, I will make an appointment to speak with an advisor to talk about the next best steps to get on track to obtaining an honours degree in Biology.
Sincerely,
Annick Levison
I sincerely wish to continue my studies at Queen's in September of 2023. I am providing the following Academic Plan outlining the steps I have taken to date and those that I will take moving forward to help me succeed in the coming year.
My Academic Plan:
1. The first and most important step I took to deal with my situation was to start working with a psychotherapist, Aisley McCarthy.
I had weekly appointments with Aisley to help me get through the second semester. I am now working with her on a bi-weekly basis for the foreseeable future. She is helping me rebuild my confidence and develop coping skills that I can use when I feel my anxiety flare up.
Aisley is helping me set healthy boundaries in my everyday relationships and ensure that those boundaries are respected. We are working to build my resilience so that I am not as deeply affected by negative events that will inevitably happen.
Together, we are developing strategies to prevent further bullying. I will continue to work with Aisley throughout the school year.
2. I moved to a new house with a new set of roommates who have no attachments to my previous roommates. The latter are no longer a part of my life. My living environment is now a positive one.
3. I booked an appointment with SASS to help me learn strategies for better notetaking, time management, coping mechanisms for stress, and exam studying tips. My first appointment is Monday, May 29th.
4. I plan to access SASS's services for the summer and continue to make use of them throughout the 2023-2024 school year.
5. I have decided to pursue a different program after a conversation with an academic advisor. When I was in high school, I was convinced I wanted to pursue a degree in Biochemistry. I have always loved, and done well in, Biology. Chemistry was my weakest mark in high school, but I loved my teacher. As a result, I thought that I would love Biochemistry. After reflecting on the results of the past two years and how I felt about each course, I have come to realize that I do not enjoy Chemistry and Physics. My interest is in Biology.
After seeing my final grades, I made an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss my options. We explored the option of taking Biology as a major to ensure that I am only taking courses I enjoy.
6. I plan to take 3 or 4 courses instead of 5 in the coming year. I will evaluate the best choice with an advisor.
7. I have started to go to the gym daily to work out. I began during the winter term to offset the stress I was experiencing. I have purchased a membership to ARC for the summer. This is helping me to remain healthy and better deal with stress.
8. I did well in my computer science course in the winter, as mentioned in Part 1 of my Petition. My father acted as a tutor who helped me understand the material and work through blocks. My final grade for that course was an A-. This is a testament to what I'm capable of when I get the support I need. My work with SASS will help me improve my study and exam preparation skills. If need be, I will work with an ASUS tutor for a course if I find that I'm having difficulty with the material.
9. I am taking two summer courses, PSYC 100 and PATH 120, and I'm enjoying them. The work is going well. I have a study schedule that I maintain faithfully.
10. For current and future courses, I will seek help from the course professors and T.A.'s to ensure that I remain on track.
11. I've just learned that there is a Peer Mentor program at Queen's. The link is currently not working. I will sign up for this program as soon as the link is functional.
12. Once I have the result of the Petition, I will make an appointment to speak with an advisor to talk about the next best steps to get on track to obtaining an honours degree in Biology.
Sincerely,
Annick Levison
Documentation
Professional Letter: Supporting Letter-2.pdf
Decision Letters
History
Originally submitted May 28, 2023 at 12:28:59 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | In Review | Spring Forsberg | 2023-05-29 11:23:30 AM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Granted | Spring Forsberg | 2023-06-12 9:52:20 AM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D. | Spring Forsberg | 2023-06-12 9:52:20 AM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Spring Forsberg | 2023-06-12 9:53:02 AM |