Petition Letter
The strike was unlike any time that any of the faculty, teaching staff, university officials, and student body had ever experienced. I, like countless other students, was affected by the change in weighting of assignments, promising to drop entire assignments only to bring them back after a short period, altering of the entire syllabus or final assessments, discussing the possibility that there will no longer be exams, classes no longer being held while others ran as normal, with no conversation about what was occurring. While I am aware that I am a very small part of the ripple effect that this created, it was still very real and very difficult. The most challenging aspect was that I was not able to receive updates on my grades and, therefore, did not know that I would be unsuccessful in my classes.
I am grateful that the faculty, as well as the TAs, have reached a suitable agreement and that if we ever had to face challenging times like that again, we will be able to proceed in a more informed and conscious way.
This year was one of the most difficult years of my life. In early April 2024, my mother went in for a routine mammogram, and they found an abnormality that they were not concerned about but still wanted to continue reviewing. We were assured that “this kind of thing happens all of the time” and “this is just routine, there is no need to worry.” In late May, my mother was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. She is my best friend, and we have always had the strongest relationship out of anyone we have known. Our family has been incredibly fortunate in my lifetime, as this was the first time we had dealt with something of this magnitude.
During the summer rugby season, I had sprained my ankle to the second highest degree, and it was my first injury in rugby (after playing for 6 years) that required me to take a significant amount of time off. I had from early July to mid-August to be back to full health (or as close as I could get) to be ready in time for training camp.
This time continued to grow increasingly difficult as the fall term approached. Our new home, which we had been renting all summer, had been growing and festering with mold. It required my father and me to make various trips to Kingston to clean our two-story, 5 bedroom house. This grew into an issue that we had to take to the city of Kingston, as our landlord would not deal with the issue or support us in finding a reasonable solution.
When it was time to leave for training camp, I was very much struggling with the idea of not being home to support my mother during this difficult time. Her first chemotherapy treatment date was approaching, and I knew I would not be there to support her throughout this journey. I put on the bravest face I could and left her and my father, with complete trust in her amazing medical team, who at that point had already successfully removed the cancer cells via surgery and she was still recovering.
When the fall term began, for the first time in my life, I was unexplainably lethargic, unmotivated, and unable to perform in any capacity. This was also the time when I began living with my teammates, and there were obvious discrepancies between who we thought they were and how they actually treated us. I continued on week after week, treatment after treatment, waiting to feel better and waiting to feel like myself again. But there was little to no relief. My rugby season grew increasingly difficult as well, as I was continuing to fight my injury and battle the mental barriers that persisted in our extremely competitive environment. I was calling my mom frequently and making sure that she was doing well, often crying on the phone calls, unaware of how much not being there for her was affecting every other aspect of my life.
These feelings continued to fester, with me having no true awareness of how “not myself” I had been over the last few months. I was aware that I had been dealing with various barriers, but the toll that they took on my mental health was not something that I was even aware of how to process or vocalize.
It was around early January that my grandmother was struggling with her energy levels, battling a very tough case of pneumonia, and was diagnosed with leukemia lymphoma. She was in Ottawa, and again, I could not visit to check in or assist in any capacity. I felt helpless again.
It was at this point in the rugby season that my mental load could no longer be suppressed, and the struggle that I was having with getting to training, lifts, and the loss of motivation had become detrimental. Throughout all of these struggles, the issues with my housemates persisted, and it began to affect our team culture and the way that certain teammates would treat me. This obviously did not make my experience any easier.
To reiterate, I have never dealt with a year or season of life that has affected me in the way that 2024 did. I have always been a very high-achieving, competitive, strong, well-rounded, responsible, organized person, even from a very young age. So when I received my marks at the end of the first term, and again at the end of the second term, I knew that, although it may be too late, I needed to reach out for help.
It was around that time that I began speaking with Becky Haist. She was a massive turning point in my journey, and I truly do not know where I would be without her support.
I have taken this year as a learning experience and a reset for myself and my family. Since the end of the second term, I have been recovering and openly speaking with my family about my struggles that I had tried to silently resolve and ignore for over 9 months. I have been actively participating and completing my assignments for my online summer term class at least a day or two ahead of the deadline, and would argue that it is some of the best work I have produced in a very long time. I will continue to do this and make active strides in becoming the best student, daughter, friend, player, and person that I can be.
To whomever is reading this letter, I appreciate your time and patience in your revision of my appeal. I want to assure you that I am taking every step to resolve and rebuild. While this year has been incredibly difficult, it has also shaped me into who I am today. As I write to you, I can assure you that my results were a byproduct of the circumstances and will not happen again. I am now aware of the support system that I have and the resources available to help me succeed as a student, athlete, and person. Thank you again for your time and consideration.
I am grateful that the faculty, as well as the TAs, have reached a suitable agreement and that if we ever had to face challenging times like that again, we will be able to proceed in a more informed and conscious way.
This year was one of the most difficult years of my life. In early April 2024, my mother went in for a routine mammogram, and they found an abnormality that they were not concerned about but still wanted to continue reviewing. We were assured that “this kind of thing happens all of the time” and “this is just routine, there is no need to worry.” In late May, my mother was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. She is my best friend, and we have always had the strongest relationship out of anyone we have known. Our family has been incredibly fortunate in my lifetime, as this was the first time we had dealt with something of this magnitude.
During the summer rugby season, I had sprained my ankle to the second highest degree, and it was my first injury in rugby (after playing for 6 years) that required me to take a significant amount of time off. I had from early July to mid-August to be back to full health (or as close as I could get) to be ready in time for training camp.
This time continued to grow increasingly difficult as the fall term approached. Our new home, which we had been renting all summer, had been growing and festering with mold. It required my father and me to make various trips to Kingston to clean our two-story, 5 bedroom house. This grew into an issue that we had to take to the city of Kingston, as our landlord would not deal with the issue or support us in finding a reasonable solution.
When it was time to leave for training camp, I was very much struggling with the idea of not being home to support my mother during this difficult time. Her first chemotherapy treatment date was approaching, and I knew I would not be there to support her throughout this journey. I put on the bravest face I could and left her and my father, with complete trust in her amazing medical team, who at that point had already successfully removed the cancer cells via surgery and she was still recovering.
When the fall term began, for the first time in my life, I was unexplainably lethargic, unmotivated, and unable to perform in any capacity. This was also the time when I began living with my teammates, and there were obvious discrepancies between who we thought they were and how they actually treated us. I continued on week after week, treatment after treatment, waiting to feel better and waiting to feel like myself again. But there was little to no relief. My rugby season grew increasingly difficult as well, as I was continuing to fight my injury and battle the mental barriers that persisted in our extremely competitive environment. I was calling my mom frequently and making sure that she was doing well, often crying on the phone calls, unaware of how much not being there for her was affecting every other aspect of my life.
These feelings continued to fester, with me having no true awareness of how “not myself” I had been over the last few months. I was aware that I had been dealing with various barriers, but the toll that they took on my mental health was not something that I was even aware of how to process or vocalize.
It was around early January that my grandmother was struggling with her energy levels, battling a very tough case of pneumonia, and was diagnosed with leukemia lymphoma. She was in Ottawa, and again, I could not visit to check in or assist in any capacity. I felt helpless again.
It was at this point in the rugby season that my mental load could no longer be suppressed, and the struggle that I was having with getting to training, lifts, and the loss of motivation had become detrimental. Throughout all of these struggles, the issues with my housemates persisted, and it began to affect our team culture and the way that certain teammates would treat me. This obviously did not make my experience any easier.
To reiterate, I have never dealt with a year or season of life that has affected me in the way that 2024 did. I have always been a very high-achieving, competitive, strong, well-rounded, responsible, organized person, even from a very young age. So when I received my marks at the end of the first term, and again at the end of the second term, I knew that, although it may be too late, I needed to reach out for help.
It was around that time that I began speaking with Becky Haist. She was a massive turning point in my journey, and I truly do not know where I would be without her support.
I have taken this year as a learning experience and a reset for myself and my family. Since the end of the second term, I have been recovering and openly speaking with my family about my struggles that I had tried to silently resolve and ignore for over 9 months. I have been actively participating and completing my assignments for my online summer term class at least a day or two ahead of the deadline, and would argue that it is some of the best work I have produced in a very long time. I will continue to do this and make active strides in becoming the best student, daughter, friend, player, and person that I can be.
To whomever is reading this letter, I appreciate your time and patience in your revision of my appeal. I want to assure you that I am taking every step to resolve and rebuild. While this year has been incredibly difficult, it has also shaped me into who I am today. As I write to you, I can assure you that my results were a byproduct of the circumstances and will not happen again. I am now aware of the support system that I have and the resources available to help me succeed as a student, athlete, and person. Thank you again for your time and consideration.