Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 2636
Decision Date: September 30, 2016
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Ryan Reynolds
Student Email: 9rr19@queensu.ca
Course: ASTR 101
Term: Summer
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Reynolds:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop ASTR 101 (S 2016) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be dropped 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 performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for dropping courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload.
Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
While there is no doubt that your car accident was well outside of your personal control, it does not seem to account for your failure in ASTR 101. Your assignment record for ASTR 101 shows that you wrote 2 of the 5 quizzes, the first you received a grade of F, the second C+. You did not submit or attempt any further work for this course (no forum discussion posts for the virtual lab, astronomy on the web, practice, observation log report or final exam). Given that you only successfully completed 5 of the work for the course prior to your car accident, I do not accept your argument that a good mark on the final would have allowed you to successfully pass this course and meet the conditions of your admission. The final exam was worth 35 of the final grade so had you scored 100, it would not have been mathematically possible for you to pass this course.
In the absence of any extenuating circumstances to explain why you were unable to drop this course by the June 24 deadline, or request a deferral of the final exam I cannot reasonably grant your request.
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 Ombudsman 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,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
06237143Reynolds
Decision Date: September 30, 2016
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Ryan Reynolds
Student Email: 9rr19@queensu.ca
Course: ASTR 101
Term: Summer
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Reynolds:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop ASTR 101 (S 2016) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be dropped 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 performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for dropping courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload.
Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
While there is no doubt that your car accident was well outside of your personal control, it does not seem to account for your failure in ASTR 101. Your assignment record for ASTR 101 shows that you wrote 2 of the 5 quizzes, the first you received a grade of F, the second C+. You did not submit or attempt any further work for this course (no forum discussion posts for the virtual lab, astronomy on the web, practice, observation log report or final exam). Given that you only successfully completed 5 of the work for the course prior to your car accident, I do not accept your argument that a good mark on the final would have allowed you to successfully pass this course and meet the conditions of your admission. The final exam was worth 35 of the final grade so had you scored 100, it would not have been mathematically possible for you to pass this course.
In the absence of any extenuating circumstances to explain why you were unable to drop this course by the June 24 deadline, or request a deferral of the final exam I cannot reasonably grant your request.
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 Ombudsman 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,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
06237143Reynolds
Generated September 30, 2016 at 9:50:38 AM.