Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: During the course of the school year I had the opportunity to be involved in an internship with Student Works. Unfortunately, this internship was glorified and vaguely explained. The job was to run your own window cleaning business in your hometown. You were obligated to go home once a weekend to acquire clients. In addition, there were trainings once a month during the school week. Upon receiving this opportunity, I accepted in hopes of making a lump sum that the company promised at the end of the summer. This would go to pay for my next year¿¿s tuition. This internship required some time during the week to work on your business, however the company was not upfront about how much time was to be dedicated towards the internship every week. A District Manager (DM) is supposed to coach each employee with his or her business; instead, my District Manager is the reason for my psychological challenge and unbalanced school work ethic. His duties were supposed to be to aid me with my business and to guide me through school and work. At first my DM seemed nice and our professional relationship was normal, but as the weeks went on he became more harsh and intimidating towards me. There were scheduled trainings and meetings that were mandatory regardless of any school commitments. These trainings were during the week and were located outside of Kingston, sometimes as far as Kitchener. On many occasions I notified my DM about not being able to make the trainings due to tests and labs but his reaction was threatening and not at all understanding. My fear of him grew larger every day as he continued to harass and place expectations on myself that I did not agree to at all. This greatly impacted my mental and emotional health, my schoolwork started to decline and I felt completely unsafe and lost during second semester. Getting out of bed was a challenge for me. Every moment of the day I had a pit in my stomach and I kept thinking ¿¿Is he going to call me today¿ My DM¿¿s constant harassment and threats caused my mental health to deteriorate faster than I could comprehend. I continued to do what he said by going back every weekend to Toronto to work on my business, trying to balance homework at the same time. Close to exam time, I wanted to quit and focus on school, but in order to leave the company you are obligated to pay a quitting fee of 5,000. Unable to conjure the money due to my single parent¿¿s low income, I was stuck again. Instead, I found some courage and told my Manager that I would only be focusing on exams until they are completed. At first things were going well, I was focused on my exams and trying to bring back my marks that I lost. Half way through my exams my Manager called me, notifying me that my minimum effort towards my business is inexcusable, and that if I don¿¿t show up more money, clients, and leads than I would be fired. Even with being terminated, I am required to pay the 5,000. The stress that my Manager put on me during my exams, caused me to feel completely exacerbated, I broke down once again. The emotional abuse I endured caused me to feel like nothing and so small. I tried talking to friends and family but it wouldn¿¿t help the feeling and situation I was in. My mental and emotional health has never had such a horrid impact from one person. The psychological impact he caused me was traumatic; I didn¿¿t realize I needed help to cope until I talked to my cousin who recently graduated from UofT for Clinical Psychology. I have severed my ties with Student Works, upon doing so my Manager threatened to take me to court. Even after finalizing this dispute, the feeling of being on edge has not subsided. Through the support from friends and family I am slowly able to feel safe and recovering my mental health. I have recently been employed as a Swim Instructor for Holland and Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Center. Through this amazing opportunity I hope to grow and gain experience in my work place. This experience will allow me to improve my organizational, responsibility and punctuality skills which will help me become a better student for the upcoming school year.