Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 1814
Decision Date: February 3, 2016
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Joseph Benson
Student Email: 12jb40@queensu.ca
Course: PHIL 203
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Mark Smith
Dear Mr. Benson:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add PHIL 203 (W 2016) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be added on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Regulations (Appeal of Academic Decisions, IIIb) stress that exceptions to this will only be waived under exceptional circumstances. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts in general would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation indicating that the student€™s ability to add a course within the deadline was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for adding courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to obtain the relevant permission, determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, beyond your control, which would have prevented you from meeting the add deadline as published in the Arts and Science Calendar, I can not reasonably waive the Faculty Regulation.
PHIL 203 was full on January 4 so you would not have been able to add this course when you decided to drop PHIL 296. It also appears from your transcript that you still need 12.0 more units in courses to graduate, including 3.0 units of PHIL at the 200 level or above; therefore there are no strongly compelling reasons to allow you to register for a course this late into the term. Finally, I would like to point out that it would be unfair to the other students who also tried to add this course to bypass the waitlist and allow you to take it now. PHIL 203 will be offered again during the 2016/17 academic year so I would encourage you to register for this course during the course selection period in July.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/students-at-queens/academic-appeals (click on €œBoard of Studies€) Do not use the on-line application for this process. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 421 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10077317Benson
Decision Date: February 3, 2016
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Joseph Benson
Student Email: 12jb40@queensu.ca
Course: PHIL 203
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Mark Smith
Dear Mr. Benson:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add PHIL 203 (W 2016) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be added on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Regulations (Appeal of Academic Decisions, IIIb) stress that exceptions to this will only be waived under exceptional circumstances. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts in general would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation indicating that the student€™s ability to add a course within the deadline was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for adding courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to obtain the relevant permission, determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, beyond your control, which would have prevented you from meeting the add deadline as published in the Arts and Science Calendar, I can not reasonably waive the Faculty Regulation.
PHIL 203 was full on January 4 so you would not have been able to add this course when you decided to drop PHIL 296. It also appears from your transcript that you still need 12.0 more units in courses to graduate, including 3.0 units of PHIL at the 200 level or above; therefore there are no strongly compelling reasons to allow you to register for a course this late into the term. Finally, I would like to point out that it would be unfair to the other students who also tried to add this course to bypass the waitlist and allow you to take it now. PHIL 203 will be offered again during the 2016/17 academic year so I would encourage you to register for this course during the course selection period in July.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/students-at-queens/academic-appeals (click on €œBoard of Studies€) Do not use the on-line application for this process. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 421 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10077317Benson
Generated February 3, 2016 at 9:07:41 AM.