Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: My first year at Queen¿¿s was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I was truly challenged for the first time, by things that I could have never expected. Like many of my peers, I had worries and doubts about entering first year- I had never lived by myself. But, I had a major obstacle to overcome. This obstacle is my severe allergy to all nuts. I also had previous altercations with mental health to contend with, and luckily for me, depression, addiction, and suicide run rampant in my family. Maintaining myself proved to be more than a strenuous undertaking for me. ¿¿¿¿

The death of Andrea Mariano was the first among many instances that validated my fear of living on my own for the first time. Her dorm room was just two floors above mine, and knowing that someone so close to me died -from the very same allergy that I possess- terrified me, and overwhelmed me with doubt and anxiety. I knew that I was raised to be extremely cautious and thorough with the preparation of my food. But, so was she. This thought haunted me throughout the year. I learned to frequent the places that I knew were relatively safe, but at times, even they were unreliable. Every location on campus had some sort of cross contamination. Some even had open containers of peanut butter placed with the rest of the condiments. I knew that I had to be borderline militant about the food that I acquired. Unfortunately, my persistence was sometimes met with annoyance, even outright denial. I was not only personally insulted by this, but also quite afraid that I was to be treated as a lesser in the future, simply because I was concerned about my own safety. This made acquiring food an even more difficult task than it had already been, as I was now plagued by the anxiety of being seen as a burden to those that provided me with food. At this point, I began losing sleep. I would eat less during the day, and starve during the night. I would resolve this by eating really late, and as a consequence, I was unable to start my day in time for class. On average, I would go to bed at 4:00AM, and wake up shortly after 2:00PM. I would also miss the allotted meal times at the cafeterias, as I was not hungry enough to go when they were open. Around the end of the yer, I was so wrapped up in my own anxiety, I turned to toasting Eggo Waffles in my room for my only sustenance.

¿¿¿¿ As a general rule, I find it extremely important to contact the professor as much as possible, as they have key insight concerning the course that, frankly, the TA¿¿s do not. I was able to seek help from my philosophy professors in my time of need, but I found it incredibly difficult to contact my professors in ENGL-100 and RELS-161. The professor for RELS-161 lived in Montréal, and consequently, was only available for discussion one day weekly. This was of no help to me, as his office hours were timed during vital lectures of mine. The class size for ENGL-100 was too large for me to contact the professor, as she constantly received e-mails from other students, and my questions were lost amongst them. Her office hours were difficult to navigate, as they were continuously full of other students. I could not turn to my TA¿¿s, as they were no less busy than my professors were. In the case of my RELS-161 TA, I found it more than a difficult task to ask for his guidance, as he was quite arrogant, and was seemingly more interested in ridiculing students than helping them. This only fuelled my anxiety, and distanced me from seeking help when i needed it the most.

¿¿¿¿ This anxiety of mine became more and more generalized as the year progressed. My academic performance was above average at the beginning of the year, receiving 100 on almost every assessment. But, after receiving a low mark on an assignment in RELS-161, I developed performance anxiety with the rest of my academic endeavours. It progressed to the point where I was so ridden with anxiety and pressure, I simply stopped doing the work that was required of me. I even developed a nervous tick over the year, that I still currently have. This combination of events lead to an overwhelming sense of pressure, and eventually, depression. I felt as if I was completely worthless. I could not sit through a class without thinking that I was less than the students that sat around me. I started to believe that I was more of a liar than a student. There were days when I was wide awake, but still couldn¿¿t get out of bed. I would stare at the ceiling for hours, wondering why I was given such a golden opportunity, only to squander it behind my family¿¿s back. I began to isolate myself completely, cutting off contact from the ones who cared about me the most. When I was alone, all i could think about was how I wanted nothing more than to be put out of my misery. ¿¿¿¿

My first year at Queen¿¿s University was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I suffered from mental illness, but I refuse to let it define who I am as a person, and as a student. I would not write any of this if I knew that it truly had no affect on my performance this year. But, it had more than that. It dictated my day-to-day. It is for that reason that I wish to drop ENGL-100 and RELS-161, and to return to Queen¿¿s this fall. I know that if I was given another chance at attending, I could excel academically. All I ask is to be understood, and considered. I know I am ready. Thank you.¿¿

PS: I have a;ready submitted the documentation proving the circumstances, but I will send it again, just in case.