Petition Letter
Hi there Thank you for considering my appeal. I had initially sent this to ASC in early January but could not find a way to waive the 50 so my appeal could be processed. I was able to get the money and that is part of why this appeal is late. I am sorry for any inconvenience, have a great evening
Appeal: Temporary grade of incomplete for designated period of time, Permission to write exams
2017 Winter: MATH121 (biocalculus), STAT263
2017 Fall: MATH384
2018 Winter: ECON255, ECON351, MATH112, MATH339
2018 Summer: CLST205, ECON212, ENIN340, MATH121
To whom it may concern,
My name is Harmony Crawford and I am in my 4th year of studies at Queen¿¿s pursuing a general in Mathematics. This appeal is to first contest the One Term deadline following a request to receive an extension on IN grades for the aforementioned courses in anticipation to complete the exams.
To address missing the date for appealing for the 2017 courses, I was dealing with very complex psychological issues while trying to help dysfunctional family. I had initially deferred the exams and failed to schedule a date to complete them. This time was during one peak of my mental health issues, I had become aware of my symptoms and had started experimenting with different antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications which mostly resulted in adverse effects like extreme lethargy and suicidal tendencies. At the same time, my mother had injured her knee while already struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, a leaky heart valve, and extreme untreated psychological disturbances at the age of 44. I have a younger sister who was 13 at the time who was consistently facing issues regarding her eating disorder and depression. I am the strongest one out of their toxic means of support and coping, so I naturally played a role helping them remotely and visiting to complete errands. My mother is a single parent and receives support from ODSP placing her as a mother of two children slightly above the poverty line at 27,000. She is a very anxious person with a grim past facing severe financial, psychological, and physical hurdles and I could not justify abandoning her and my sister although it would¿¿ve been best for my mental health and academic performance. I did keep in contact with my two professors for those courses and they agreed to alternative exams but once I passed the deadline, they were still encouraging but had indicated it was out of their hands now. I was at a low during the time and the responsibility to appeal slipped from my aim of focus as I fell into another spiral.
With reference to my 3rd year of studies and the courses I failed to complete, I also failed to appeal within the time bounds of the process for similar reasoning. I had started a new medication called Welbutrin that resulted in a temporary improvement over the summer and then adverse effects throughout the school term. I couldn¿¿t think properly, and I did not feel like myself, but I was desperate to stick to the med in hopes it would soon ¿¿click¿ and I could be happy and motivated again. I was in a bad place facing financial issues and not eating properly in addition to recurrent anxiety attacks and mental breakdowns. I found myself spreading myself thin and then crashing for days, sleeping without food for consecutive days and limiting social contact. I visited counselling and crisis to mitigate my pressing emotions related to my disorders and to save myself from harm. I deferred my fall exam and failed to schedule a makeup exam in the new year, I received a higher dose of my Wellbutrin once I told my doctor the efficacy was waning. I started the dosage and I cracked. The term was emotionally draining, and I was not even in contact with my sister and mother. I had terrible, vivid thoughts and plans to end myself and I did not know myself anymore. I stopped taking my medication cold turkey and visited LaSalle frequently. It was not the wisest decision and I was not aware of the effects of doing so. This was near exams and I deferred them while coping with withdrawal. I could not find the motivation or focus to write the exams.
I was entering the summer in a bad headspace and was homeless for 2 weeks. I had to call the school and ask them to refund some of my OSAP credits, so I can afford to stay in a room for the summer, it was an experience I did not think I would ever endure. However, I had my first psychiatric appointment at Queen¿¿s with Dr.Mcnevan. This is where things will begin to get better because after I saw him, I had clarity with my psychological issues. He had concluded I was struggling with Complex PTSD because of my history of traumatic childhood abuse, emotional manipulation and abandonment. This is in addition to OCD and ADD. Therapy was suggested but it is too costly and inaccessible for me to pursue in Toronto when I am away from the services free at Queen¿¿s. I followed exercises online to help mitigate my anxiety and flashbacks and stayed away from prescription drugs because Mcnevan deemed me as ¿¿dealing with human misery¿ as a result of my PTSD not MDD. I was still very stressed working multiple jobs to sustain expenses in the summer and I was not eating properly. I needed to work hard to cover my room rent, my leased room in Kingston, and savings for my debt so I can go to school. I developed pneumonia and did not recover properly because of work, after developing pneumonia a second time I was almost hospitalized and lost my job. My ¿¿human misery¿ intensified and it was tough to get better. At the same time, my biological father blocked me from all means of communication after asking for help to pay for my prescriptions and tuition. I have a history of financial issues at Queen¿¿s and had debt on my SOLUS. He blocked me at a very low point, mentally and financially. I do not know how to write about how I felt but it was like a cloak of lost hope and guilt that blanketed around me, I was in shock because this person I always wanted to be apart of my life deliberately wants to hurt me. This still really hurts, as much as I am trying to make sense of it, I am trying to move on and heal. Following this, I was unable to enrol for any courses at Queen¿¿s because of my outstanding debt and after another appeal I was denied. I had to accept I could not return to university because of my finances which made me gravely depressed. During this time, it was incredibly difficult to spend time on schoolwork and I do regret taking courses in the Summer but I wanted to be educationally active and do well so my GPA could increase. I kept fooling myself and I do not feel well about it.
However, I do feel the term off was a blessing in disguise. I was able to cope with my issues and help my mentally and physically unstable mother. My sister failed 9th grade and had to repeat it but she was still failing. I played a large role as her guardian and trying to liaison with her teachers to figure out alternatives, so she can get her credits. I also enrolled in the Managing Powerful Emotions therapy group at Queen¿¿s to help create the foundation to a healthy and aware future. I am not presently on any medications. Additionally, I was blessed with an incredible bursary by the Student Awards team to help cover my debt and tuition in the future, so I can focus on school. The Hudson Bursary is worth 20,000 and the team¿¿s focus was to take that stress off my plate, so I can focus on graduating. Of the listed, 80 of the courses I have outstanding exams for are perquisite courses I need to complete before moving forward and completing my degree. I am already a term behind because of financial difficulty and I am praying for the opportunity to complete them to finish the requirement courses, otherwise I would likely face a 6th year¿¿something I cannot financially afford to do. That is just what I am intending to do and these are necessary courses I know I can successfully complete if I am given the opportunity to complete the overly deferred exams corresponding to each listed course.
I realized from all this that I can¿¿t solve my psychological issues with a band aid solution like antidepressants and it will be a journey. I do regret my inaction and irresponsibility, but I can confidently say those were not Harmony¿¿s doings. I would please wish for a second chance to redeem myself academically and prove to myself and Queen¿¿s I can be the student I always was until I was removed from a highly hostile and abusive household to autonomy and my mental health finally caught up with me at the worst time. The courses I am appealing to receive an IN and to complete are not courses in which I blatantly failed, I just failed to write the exams and major evaluations due to my circumstances.
To note, I understand this is a complex case and I understand if you do require an in person meeting or further documentation. I can even provide documentation to support my activity in trying to better myself through Queen¿¿s Student Wellness and Psychiatry.
I do greatly appreciate any understanding and effort put fourth in this case. I have a few professors who are very supportive and are ready to administer the exams as soon as my appeal is processed. I will remain available to be in close communication with whoever is handling my case.
Kindest regards,
Harmony Crawford
Appeal: Temporary grade of incomplete for designated period of time, Permission to write exams
2017 Winter: MATH121 (biocalculus), STAT263
2017 Fall: MATH384
2018 Winter: ECON255, ECON351, MATH112, MATH339
2018 Summer: CLST205, ECON212, ENIN340, MATH121
To whom it may concern,
My name is Harmony Crawford and I am in my 4th year of studies at Queen¿¿s pursuing a general in Mathematics. This appeal is to first contest the One Term deadline following a request to receive an extension on IN grades for the aforementioned courses in anticipation to complete the exams.
To address missing the date for appealing for the 2017 courses, I was dealing with very complex psychological issues while trying to help dysfunctional family. I had initially deferred the exams and failed to schedule a date to complete them. This time was during one peak of my mental health issues, I had become aware of my symptoms and had started experimenting with different antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications which mostly resulted in adverse effects like extreme lethargy and suicidal tendencies. At the same time, my mother had injured her knee while already struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, a leaky heart valve, and extreme untreated psychological disturbances at the age of 44. I have a younger sister who was 13 at the time who was consistently facing issues regarding her eating disorder and depression. I am the strongest one out of their toxic means of support and coping, so I naturally played a role helping them remotely and visiting to complete errands. My mother is a single parent and receives support from ODSP placing her as a mother of two children slightly above the poverty line at 27,000. She is a very anxious person with a grim past facing severe financial, psychological, and physical hurdles and I could not justify abandoning her and my sister although it would¿¿ve been best for my mental health and academic performance. I did keep in contact with my two professors for those courses and they agreed to alternative exams but once I passed the deadline, they were still encouraging but had indicated it was out of their hands now. I was at a low during the time and the responsibility to appeal slipped from my aim of focus as I fell into another spiral.
With reference to my 3rd year of studies and the courses I failed to complete, I also failed to appeal within the time bounds of the process for similar reasoning. I had started a new medication called Welbutrin that resulted in a temporary improvement over the summer and then adverse effects throughout the school term. I couldn¿¿t think properly, and I did not feel like myself, but I was desperate to stick to the med in hopes it would soon ¿¿click¿ and I could be happy and motivated again. I was in a bad place facing financial issues and not eating properly in addition to recurrent anxiety attacks and mental breakdowns. I found myself spreading myself thin and then crashing for days, sleeping without food for consecutive days and limiting social contact. I visited counselling and crisis to mitigate my pressing emotions related to my disorders and to save myself from harm. I deferred my fall exam and failed to schedule a makeup exam in the new year, I received a higher dose of my Wellbutrin once I told my doctor the efficacy was waning. I started the dosage and I cracked. The term was emotionally draining, and I was not even in contact with my sister and mother. I had terrible, vivid thoughts and plans to end myself and I did not know myself anymore. I stopped taking my medication cold turkey and visited LaSalle frequently. It was not the wisest decision and I was not aware of the effects of doing so. This was near exams and I deferred them while coping with withdrawal. I could not find the motivation or focus to write the exams.
I was entering the summer in a bad headspace and was homeless for 2 weeks. I had to call the school and ask them to refund some of my OSAP credits, so I can afford to stay in a room for the summer, it was an experience I did not think I would ever endure. However, I had my first psychiatric appointment at Queen¿¿s with Dr.Mcnevan. This is where things will begin to get better because after I saw him, I had clarity with my psychological issues. He had concluded I was struggling with Complex PTSD because of my history of traumatic childhood abuse, emotional manipulation and abandonment. This is in addition to OCD and ADD. Therapy was suggested but it is too costly and inaccessible for me to pursue in Toronto when I am away from the services free at Queen¿¿s. I followed exercises online to help mitigate my anxiety and flashbacks and stayed away from prescription drugs because Mcnevan deemed me as ¿¿dealing with human misery¿ as a result of my PTSD not MDD. I was still very stressed working multiple jobs to sustain expenses in the summer and I was not eating properly. I needed to work hard to cover my room rent, my leased room in Kingston, and savings for my debt so I can go to school. I developed pneumonia and did not recover properly because of work, after developing pneumonia a second time I was almost hospitalized and lost my job. My ¿¿human misery¿ intensified and it was tough to get better. At the same time, my biological father blocked me from all means of communication after asking for help to pay for my prescriptions and tuition. I have a history of financial issues at Queen¿¿s and had debt on my SOLUS. He blocked me at a very low point, mentally and financially. I do not know how to write about how I felt but it was like a cloak of lost hope and guilt that blanketed around me, I was in shock because this person I always wanted to be apart of my life deliberately wants to hurt me. This still really hurts, as much as I am trying to make sense of it, I am trying to move on and heal. Following this, I was unable to enrol for any courses at Queen¿¿s because of my outstanding debt and after another appeal I was denied. I had to accept I could not return to university because of my finances which made me gravely depressed. During this time, it was incredibly difficult to spend time on schoolwork and I do regret taking courses in the Summer but I wanted to be educationally active and do well so my GPA could increase. I kept fooling myself and I do not feel well about it.
However, I do feel the term off was a blessing in disguise. I was able to cope with my issues and help my mentally and physically unstable mother. My sister failed 9th grade and had to repeat it but she was still failing. I played a large role as her guardian and trying to liaison with her teachers to figure out alternatives, so she can get her credits. I also enrolled in the Managing Powerful Emotions therapy group at Queen¿¿s to help create the foundation to a healthy and aware future. I am not presently on any medications. Additionally, I was blessed with an incredible bursary by the Student Awards team to help cover my debt and tuition in the future, so I can focus on school. The Hudson Bursary is worth 20,000 and the team¿¿s focus was to take that stress off my plate, so I can focus on graduating. Of the listed, 80 of the courses I have outstanding exams for are perquisite courses I need to complete before moving forward and completing my degree. I am already a term behind because of financial difficulty and I am praying for the opportunity to complete them to finish the requirement courses, otherwise I would likely face a 6th year¿¿something I cannot financially afford to do. That is just what I am intending to do and these are necessary courses I know I can successfully complete if I am given the opportunity to complete the overly deferred exams corresponding to each listed course.
I realized from all this that I can¿¿t solve my psychological issues with a band aid solution like antidepressants and it will be a journey. I do regret my inaction and irresponsibility, but I can confidently say those were not Harmony¿¿s doings. I would please wish for a second chance to redeem myself academically and prove to myself and Queen¿¿s I can be the student I always was until I was removed from a highly hostile and abusive household to autonomy and my mental health finally caught up with me at the worst time. The courses I am appealing to receive an IN and to complete are not courses in which I blatantly failed, I just failed to write the exams and major evaluations due to my circumstances.
To note, I understand this is a complex case and I understand if you do require an in person meeting or further documentation. I can even provide documentation to support my activity in trying to better myself through Queen¿¿s Student Wellness and Psychiatry.
I do greatly appreciate any understanding and effort put fourth in this case. I have a few professors who are very supportive and are ready to administer the exams as soon as my appeal is processed. I will remain available to be in close communication with whoever is handling my case.
Kindest regards,
Harmony Crawford