Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Letter of Appeal

Re: Zoe Trebell
Student: 20118466

Hello, my name is Zoe Trebell and I am appealing to the Arts and Science Faculty of Queens University to waive the requirement that I withdraw from Queens (academic probation) until September 2020.

Additionally, I am appealing to late drop Film and Media 110 as well as DRAM 100 (Fall 2018/2019) and to continue the opportunity to complete DEVS 100 and SOCY 122 for which I have been granted Incompletes by my professors, Mark Hostetler, and Sachil Singh. I have an agreement by both professors to complete required assignments by agreed timelines.

My extenuating circumstances revolve primarily from my mother's death following a four-year battle with cancer on March 24th of last year. This affected my school year as it resulted in many firsts following my Moms death. I was already feeling lonely in residence as I was in a single room which contributed to my introversion. Although I was anxious and uncomfortable prior to these events, being alone on my birthday; October 25th as well as what would have been my moms 51st birthday on November 17, severely impacted my mental health. This led to a period of depression in which I became less motivated and began to struggle to stay on top of tasks and assignments. I was unable to sleep which increased my exhaustion and reduced my drive to leave residency for anything including food.

I have struggled with anorexia nervosa since my Moms diagnosis and my anxiety and depression increased and deterred me from socializing or eating enough to adequately complete my assignments. Prior to my exams, I sought help from Queens Occupational Therapist, Tess Grant, and as well as QSAS Student Accessibility Advisor, Meg Hall, in order to try and implement my registered Academic Accommodations.

Coming back from winter break I felt better and less anxious feeling as though I had a handle on my school and I was in control of myself. During the following months, I was able to get on top of my work and complete assignments as I had seen Dr. Merlot (Psychiatrist), in Oakville and was in a better place mentally and physically.

The first week of March my sister, stepdad and I went to Florida in order to spread my mom's ashes in her favorite place. I was prepared to be upset and therefore asked my teachers for allowed absences or extensions in classes and assignments for which I would be missing. Coming back to Queens after Florida was far more difficult than I imagined. This trip to Florida brought up a lot of memories and feelings I had spent years suppressing or trying to forget. The pain and grief were worsened on the anniversary of my mom's death which was the 24th of March. I have never been in the state of depression that I was after this day. I found it hard to even get out of bed regardless of the time. My mom was a constant in my life for seventeen years and after this anniversary the realization that she was gone forever was a lot harder to handle than I thought. I was unable to control what thoughts of her came into my head at any moment and had no one to confide in. I did not seek help as I was so overwhelmed and embarrassed about how I had let my academics and myself get to this point.

I understand how serious the academic situation is that I have put myself in is. These are the steps I have already taken and will take moving forward:

Since coming home from school, I have started a job in horticulture in which I have a consistent set schedule of Monday to Friday, from 6:00 am until 2:30 pm. This has helped my depression and anxiety as each day I am completing a different task while working with natural elements while landscaping. This has helped remind me of the feeling I get when accomplishing something and positively contributing to society and the environment.
I have been in contact with my Global Development and Sociology teachers who have granted me incompletes and I have committed to a deadline of the assignments I have with to complete. Currently, I have done two of my quizzes missed in Global Development and have upcoming dates for the remaining work to be finished.
I have also sought out therapy with a grief counselor in Burlington to help to work through the issues that I have not fully acknowledged or dealt with. I am aware of how important communication and mental wellness is in order to succeed in both a professional and personal space and I want to emphasize that if the faculty were to grant these appeals, I would utilize all resources that Queens offers including their on-campus counseling services, OSAS and SASS, etc.
I plan to enroll in a reduced course load of 3 as opposed to 5 courses in the Fall term

I was not capable of reaching out last year and fully understand how critical mental and physical wellness is to my academics as well as taking responsibility for my lack of initiative and culpability when addressing the issues at hand. I have created an academic plan that I will follow in order to aid in being a successful member of the Queens community for which I can be proud of both academically and personally.


Academic Plan

Zoe Trebell
20118466

To achieve a successful second year, I plan to do the following. Firstly, I will focus on classes that I have an interest in learning about. I have always been interested in topics that educate me on social issues. Last year I wasn¿¿t positive what courses I would be most interested in, prompting me to take a variety, some of which I was not suited towards. Gender studies and Liberal arts are two of the classes I plan on taking as well as retaking Drama 100.

For 2019 to 2020 I plan on taking a reduced course load, I will take three (6-unit courses) rather than five (6-unit courses) to give me the opportunity to focus on each course and assignments thoroughly. Once I have a handle on my studies I would like to once again be taking a full course load for third year. Additionally, I will seek assistance from campus resources such as learning strategy counselors to aid in my academic organization. I know this will help my approach to time management when hopefully transitioning course loads as well as taking a summer course next year to further progress in my Queens studies.

Barriers that held me back for first-year included my struggle¿¿s with mental health that was worsened by the death of my mother as well as delayed grief and pain that increased following different first experiences such as birthdays and anniversaries. In terms of overcoming these struggles, I have seen my eating disorder physiatrist Dr. Mollot a number of times and continue to see her regularly in order to help overcome my eating habits as I know it directly affects my energy and motivation in school. Additionally, I will continue to keep in contact with Meg Hall and reach out to Haley Everson my academic advisor both of whom have assisted me throughout the appeal process. I also plan to reach out to SASS and more importantly QSWS on a regular basis as these resources will ultimately help me the most if I am struggling. Although these steps will not eradicate all of my problems, I¿¿m sure that they¿¿re the right steps in the right direction in order to ultimately allow me to have a positive return to Queens.

Thank you and Best Regards,

Zoe Trebell.