Petition Letter
June 13th, 2016
Johanne Bénard
Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen¿¿s University
Student Services, First Floor Dunning Hall
Dear Dr. Bénard,
My name is Adam Codesmith, and I am appealing the Faculty¿¿s decision that I withdraw from Queen¿¿s University for a minimum of one year. I am a part of the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society and am enrolled in a Bachelor¿¿s of Honours (Sociology) program, along with a minor in Classical Studies.
During my time at Queen¿¿s University, I have struggled greatly with mental illness. Up until the most recent school year of 2015-2016, I found that I could manage my courses and did not experience the feelings to the extent that I currently do. A number of my courses required me to attend tutorials and interact with my peers and professors. I slowly developed a strong level of social anxiety and felt unable to participate in these sessions. Daily activities that I found simple in the past became more difficult and frightening. Thoughts about the rest of my life, the assumed opinions I believed my family and friends had about me, and academic potential gave me high levels of fear, paranoia, and doubt. I felt ashamed by my thoughts and actions so I did not reach out to friends or family, and my anxiety and paranoia only grew stronger throughout the year. By the second term of school, my participation in my courses severely dropped. I felt overwhelmed by my courses and found solace in putting off and never accomplishing important assignment and meeting deadlines. I live in Toronto with my parents, and during reading week I visited my family doctor in an attempt to talk to someone. My doctor gave me a letter of recommendation to bring back to Queen¿¿s and give Student Health Services, in order to seek help in the interim before moving back to Toronto for the summer and continuing with my doctor. I arrived back to school and failed to go to Health Services, as my anxiety about talking to a new person only worsened. This greatly affected my grades and academic standing, and I did not complete several assignments and final examinations, and did not attend tutorials. I was scared to reach out to professors, and with each failure I developed more resentment of my actions. I realize now the grave depth of my errors, and have begun to find serious help through my doctor.
If this appeal were to be accepted, I believe I now have the abilities to find academic success at Queen¿¿s. I am in the process of meeting an expert on mental illness through my family doctor, and am finding myself to be more open about the anxieties I have about socialization, future success, and external pressures from family and society. I believe my mental illness can be managed and that in the months before September, I will continue to feel this way. I believe I can successfully meet with an academic advisor and overcome my social anxiety, through the help of a medical professional or personal counselor, who would continue to be a part of a system of support to me during my time in Kingston. I understand the weight of my actions during the past year, and do not wish for them to continue. With mental and academic support from these individuals and a viable academic plan, I strongly believe change is possible and I can complete a degree with Queen's University. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Codesmith
10011695
phone: 416 998 5277
email: 0ac82@queensu.ca
Johanne Bénard
Associate Dean (Studies)
Queen¿¿s University
Student Services, First Floor Dunning Hall
Dear Dr. Bénard,
My name is Adam Codesmith, and I am appealing the Faculty¿¿s decision that I withdraw from Queen¿¿s University for a minimum of one year. I am a part of the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society and am enrolled in a Bachelor¿¿s of Honours (Sociology) program, along with a minor in Classical Studies.
During my time at Queen¿¿s University, I have struggled greatly with mental illness. Up until the most recent school year of 2015-2016, I found that I could manage my courses and did not experience the feelings to the extent that I currently do. A number of my courses required me to attend tutorials and interact with my peers and professors. I slowly developed a strong level of social anxiety and felt unable to participate in these sessions. Daily activities that I found simple in the past became more difficult and frightening. Thoughts about the rest of my life, the assumed opinions I believed my family and friends had about me, and academic potential gave me high levels of fear, paranoia, and doubt. I felt ashamed by my thoughts and actions so I did not reach out to friends or family, and my anxiety and paranoia only grew stronger throughout the year. By the second term of school, my participation in my courses severely dropped. I felt overwhelmed by my courses and found solace in putting off and never accomplishing important assignment and meeting deadlines. I live in Toronto with my parents, and during reading week I visited my family doctor in an attempt to talk to someone. My doctor gave me a letter of recommendation to bring back to Queen¿¿s and give Student Health Services, in order to seek help in the interim before moving back to Toronto for the summer and continuing with my doctor. I arrived back to school and failed to go to Health Services, as my anxiety about talking to a new person only worsened. This greatly affected my grades and academic standing, and I did not complete several assignments and final examinations, and did not attend tutorials. I was scared to reach out to professors, and with each failure I developed more resentment of my actions. I realize now the grave depth of my errors, and have begun to find serious help through my doctor.
If this appeal were to be accepted, I believe I now have the abilities to find academic success at Queen¿¿s. I am in the process of meeting an expert on mental illness through my family doctor, and am finding myself to be more open about the anxieties I have about socialization, future success, and external pressures from family and society. I believe my mental illness can be managed and that in the months before September, I will continue to feel this way. I believe I can successfully meet with an academic advisor and overcome my social anxiety, through the help of a medical professional or personal counselor, who would continue to be a part of a system of support to me during my time in Kingston. I understand the weight of my actions during the past year, and do not wish for them to continue. With mental and academic support from these individuals and a viable academic plan, I strongly believe change is possible and I can complete a degree with Queen's University. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Codesmith
10011695
phone: 416 998 5277
email: 0ac82@queensu.ca