Petition Letter
Dear Associate Dean Dr. Dorit Naaman,
I am writing to respectfully petition the Faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from Queen’s University for one year. I am requesting permission to continue my undergraduate studies without interruption, as my academic challenges over the past year were the direct result of severe, temporary, and extenuating personal circumstances that have now been fully resolved.
My academic performance this past year was deeply affected by an abusive and controlling home environment that left me without autonomy, emotional stability, or consistent access to support. After expressing my intention to switch out of Life Sciences following my first year of undergraduate studies to pursue a program more aligned with my strengths, my parents reacted with utter hostility. They saw my desire to change programs as a personal failure and a source of shame to the family.
As a result, my mother relocated from Texas to Kingston and lived with me throughout my second year. During this time, I experienced ongoing verbal, emotional, and at times physical abuse. She frequently demeaned me, monitored my movements, and discouraged any attempt to seek help. Although I had recieved counselling in the Summer 2024 term, she forbade me from continuing, insisting that mental health care was “a sign of weakness.” She tracked my whereabouts and regularly threatened to confiscate my phone and laptop if I attempted to access university counselling services of any sort.
The psychological and physical impact of this constant surveillance and emotional distress was immense. I became increasingly anxious, hypervigilant, and unable to focus on coursework. I was often unable to complete assignments or attend lectures due to emotional exhaustion and the constant fear of conflict at home. As the situation escalated, I began experiencing symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder, including insomnia, panic attacks, and memory lapses. These symptoms, combined with the complete lack of access to counselling and support, directly led to my declining academic performance across both the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 terms, in sharp contrast to my stronger results during the Summer 2024 term when I had access to stability and professional support.
One of the most significant impacts of this abusive environment was that I was unable to drop my courses by the academic deadlines. I repeatedly told my parents that I wanted to withdraw from certain courses because I was struggling to cope both mentally and academically. However, they refused, insisting that dropping courses was an “act of failure” and I am expected to see them through regardless of the results. When I secretly dropped BCHM 218 and ANAT 100 in the Winter 2025 term, my father discovered it at the end of the semester because he had access to my Queen’s NetID login credentials and routinely monitored my student account. After discovering the dropped courses, he forced me to enroll in summer courses to “make up” for my previous grades, despite my repeated explanations that I needed rest and wanted to drop those courses. During the Summer 2024 term, they restricted my access to my laptop for extended periods as punishment for my academic performance in second year, using it as a way to take out their anger on me. This all made it impossible to focus, study effectively, or complete coursework on time, and further delayed my ability to advocate for myself academically. It is why I missed the June 11 petition submission deadline as well.
This level of control meant that I could not make independent academic decisions or access my online learning platforms freely. I was effectively trapped in courses that I had neither the mental stability nor the autonomy to manage. My grades from this period do not reflect my capabilities or commitment to my academic career, they reflect the effects of sustained psychological abuse.
I am writing to respectfully petition the Faculty’s decision that I must withdraw from Queen’s University for one year. I am requesting permission to continue my undergraduate studies without interruption, as my academic challenges over the past year were the direct result of severe, temporary, and extenuating personal circumstances that have now been fully resolved.
My academic performance this past year was deeply affected by an abusive and controlling home environment that left me without autonomy, emotional stability, or consistent access to support. After expressing my intention to switch out of Life Sciences following my first year of undergraduate studies to pursue a program more aligned with my strengths, my parents reacted with utter hostility. They saw my desire to change programs as a personal failure and a source of shame to the family.
As a result, my mother relocated from Texas to Kingston and lived with me throughout my second year. During this time, I experienced ongoing verbal, emotional, and at times physical abuse. She frequently demeaned me, monitored my movements, and discouraged any attempt to seek help. Although I had recieved counselling in the Summer 2024 term, she forbade me from continuing, insisting that mental health care was “a sign of weakness.” She tracked my whereabouts and regularly threatened to confiscate my phone and laptop if I attempted to access university counselling services of any sort.
The psychological and physical impact of this constant surveillance and emotional distress was immense. I became increasingly anxious, hypervigilant, and unable to focus on coursework. I was often unable to complete assignments or attend lectures due to emotional exhaustion and the constant fear of conflict at home. As the situation escalated, I began experiencing symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder, including insomnia, panic attacks, and memory lapses. These symptoms, combined with the complete lack of access to counselling and support, directly led to my declining academic performance across both the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 terms, in sharp contrast to my stronger results during the Summer 2024 term when I had access to stability and professional support.
One of the most significant impacts of this abusive environment was that I was unable to drop my courses by the academic deadlines. I repeatedly told my parents that I wanted to withdraw from certain courses because I was struggling to cope both mentally and academically. However, they refused, insisting that dropping courses was an “act of failure” and I am expected to see them through regardless of the results. When I secretly dropped BCHM 218 and ANAT 100 in the Winter 2025 term, my father discovered it at the end of the semester because he had access to my Queen’s NetID login credentials and routinely monitored my student account. After discovering the dropped courses, he forced me to enroll in summer courses to “make up” for my previous grades, despite my repeated explanations that I needed rest and wanted to drop those courses. During the Summer 2024 term, they restricted my access to my laptop for extended periods as punishment for my academic performance in second year, using it as a way to take out their anger on me. This all made it impossible to focus, study effectively, or complete coursework on time, and further delayed my ability to advocate for myself academically. It is why I missed the June 11 petition submission deadline as well.
This level of control meant that I could not make independent academic decisions or access my online learning platforms freely. I was effectively trapped in courses that I had neither the mental stability nor the autonomy to manage. My grades from this period do not reflect my capabilities or commitment to my academic career, they reflect the effects of sustained psychological abuse.