Petition Letter
I wish to appeal for credit standing for CLST 341, a course I passed, but didn't do well in. As well as drop CLST 129, because I don't believe I did well in that course either. This is due to depression and anxiety I've been dealing with while at Queen¿¿s. During this semester, I lived off campus again, except this time with housemates I met at the MSA, rather than alone like I did my first year. I did this because I thought it would help with the loneliness I had been experiencing the last 3 semesters, which it did when I¿¿d be at home. But at classes I¿¿d feel very alone, and uncomfortable. When I first came to Queen¿¿s I¿¿d often sit alone not out of choice, and every now and then I get stared at in weird way. I think it was because of the climate in the west about muslims. That kind of stuff scares me, knowing that there might be people here judging me and hating me because of my religion. It wouldn¿¿t be the first time that something anti -muslim has happened to me. In grade 7 when I was living in Utica, New York, I used be called a terrorist on a day to day basis, and was bullied and beat up for being muslim. Because of these experiences I am prone to become anxious when people stare, and I have no control over that feeling. It makes going to class difficult and unpleasant, because being stared at happens a lot to me. When I first started CLST 341, I was excited and ready to do well in another one of Professor Kavanagh¿¿s courses. Except I got sick, during the second week, I had a cold that was prominent for most of the week but I got better on Friday of the week. The biggest problem was the cough. It was really loud and constant, and I knew it would disrupt my small CLST 341 class and my CLST 129 class. Especially since the professor in 341 didn¿¿t even use a mic. Plus coughing in the class would spread the cold, give people reason to stare at me, and that would make the class uncomfortable for me. The week after that cold I got strep throat, I saw a doctor and she gave me antibiotics, and by the time I had been able to get out of bed and get to class, I had missed 2 weeks worth of classes. Thinking about that intensified my already present depression and made me think about things like what if I get a bad grade or What if I go to class and the Professor points out that i¿¿ve been absent for 4 days. That made me even more anxious and depressed and it got so bad that the idea of going to class would cause me to freeze up and gave me stomach cramps from the anxiety. I luckily did meet people in both classes who agreed to give me notes via email. Furthermore, my family is going through some money problems. And the fear of not being able to pay for my university has really been exacerbated this semester. Especially when my parents constantly put pressure on me by constantly reminding me that if I get bad grades, I¿¿d be wasting money that they can¿¿t afford to waste. With the anxiety and depression on my mind, doing well on the course seemed like an impossibility. And it showed, as I ended up getting a D- in CLST 341, a course I was confident I'd get an A in when I picked it. And trying to ace a course with those psychological challenges really messed up my ability to focus on this course, study efficiently, ask for help, and over all do well in it.