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