Decision Letter
Submission Number: 14132
Decision Date: July 29, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: YouYang Lyu
Student Email: 21yl138@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY 235
Term: Winter
Year: 2026
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Golshan Golriz
Dear Leah,
I have carefully considered your request for Credit Standing in SOCY 235 (W26) and while I’m unable to grant your petition, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account in reaching this decision.
The Academic Petition and Appeals Regulation 1.1 states that petitions are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional.
I acknowledge the health-related circumstances described in your petition and appreciate the additional information that you provided about the condition in your email dated May 21, 2026. I understand that you received QSAS accommodation for one mid-term deferral in this course and subsequently wrote the deferred mid-term exam.
While I appreciate your situation, it is important to ensure fairness and consistency within the petition process. Based on the information provided, your request does not demonstrate unexpected extenuating circumstances that would warrant consideration under the regulations. I recognize that the health-related condition described in your petition is chronic in nature; however, the petition process requires evidence that circumstances affecting a student’s academic performance were both extenuating and arose unexpectedly. In addition, the documentation provided that speaks to the 2026 Winter term, dated January 20, 2026, does not suggest academic impacts or affects related to the timeline of the deferred mid-term exam. As such, I am unable to grant this request.
I want to take this time to remind you that it is never suggested that a student write an exam while unwell. Along with QSAS accommodations, Academic Consideration is a process through which the university community provides a compassionate response to assist students experiencing a short-term extenuating circumstance. You can familiarize yourself with your consideration options at: https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/accommodations.
If you are concerned with the impact that your final grade in this course has on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
Additionally, if you wish to appeal this decision, you are welcome to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies. Information on the appeal process and deadlines is available at queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals (click on “Second Level”). Appeals to the Board of Studies must be submitted within 10 business days of the date of this decision. The Office of the University Ombudsperson offers guidance on student rights and procedural fairness at queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness, and they are also available to support you at queensu.ca/ombuds.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: July 29, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: YouYang Lyu
Student Email: 21yl138@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY 235
Term: Winter
Year: 2026
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Golshan Golriz
Dear Leah,
I have carefully considered your request for Credit Standing in SOCY 235 (W26) and while I’m unable to grant your petition, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account in reaching this decision.
The Academic Petition and Appeals Regulation 1.1 states that petitions are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional.
I acknowledge the health-related circumstances described in your petition and appreciate the additional information that you provided about the condition in your email dated May 21, 2026. I understand that you received QSAS accommodation for one mid-term deferral in this course and subsequently wrote the deferred mid-term exam.
While I appreciate your situation, it is important to ensure fairness and consistency within the petition process. Based on the information provided, your request does not demonstrate unexpected extenuating circumstances that would warrant consideration under the regulations. I recognize that the health-related condition described in your petition is chronic in nature; however, the petition process requires evidence that circumstances affecting a student’s academic performance were both extenuating and arose unexpectedly. In addition, the documentation provided that speaks to the 2026 Winter term, dated January 20, 2026, does not suggest academic impacts or affects related to the timeline of the deferred mid-term exam. As such, I am unable to grant this request.
I want to take this time to remind you that it is never suggested that a student write an exam while unwell. Along with QSAS accommodations, Academic Consideration is a process through which the university community provides a compassionate response to assist students experiencing a short-term extenuating circumstance. You can familiarize yourself with your consideration options at: https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/accommodations.
If you are concerned with the impact that your final grade in this course has on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
Additionally, if you wish to appeal this decision, you are welcome to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies. Information on the appeal process and deadlines is available at queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals (click on “Second Level”). Appeals to the Board of Studies must be submitted within 10 business days of the date of this decision. The Office of the University Ombudsperson offers guidance on student rights and procedural fairness at queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness, and they are also available to support you at queensu.ca/ombuds.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated July 29, 2026 at 4:26:32 PM.