Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 372
Decision Date: September 24, 2014
Associate Dean: Johanne Bnard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Brigette Piazza
Student Email: 12bvp@queensu.ca
Course: COGS100
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC251
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC271
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: P16
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Ms. Brigette Piazza
12bvp@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Piazza:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop COGS 100 (F 2013), PHYS P16 and PSYC 271 (W 2014) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
Your appeal requesting to drop PSYC 251 (W 2014) past the academic deadline cannot be heard because there is a Level II Finding of a Departure from Academic Integrity assigned to you in this particular course. According to Academic Regulation 1.3 of the Arts and Science Calendar, €œIf the penalty amounts to a failure in the class, the student may not drop the class, regardless of the drop deadlines€. Information on appealing the Finding or sanction assigned in this case was included in your decision letter.
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 your appeal does describe several different circumstances that are extenuating in nature the timeline of these circumstances is not clear. It is also not clear what specific effect or impact your circumstances had on these particular courses. Your letter cites that the heavy work load of these courses contributed to the exacerbation of your condition. However, taking on a heavy work load in itself is not considered to be an extenuating circumstance that would warrant waiving the academic regulations. Upper year students are expected to be able to gauge their overall health and their academic progress in courses and make decisions within the drop deadlines. If you felt that your course load was more than you could handle you were expected to drop courses accordingly within the drop deadlines. Lastly, there is no explanation provided as to why your circumstances only affected these particular courses as it appears from your transcript that you performed well in your other courses from the 2014 winter term
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit a letter of intent to appeal within 21 days of receiving this decision. Appeal forms are available from this office (F200 Mackintosh-Corry Hall) or on the web: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/help/forms General information on appeals is available at http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/academics/academic-appeals. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Dispute Resolution Mechanisms Coordinator for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 153 Richardson Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (drm@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10060962Piazza3
Decision Date: September 24, 2014
Associate Dean: Johanne Bnard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Brigette Piazza
Student Email: 12bvp@queensu.ca
Course: COGS100
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC251
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC271
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: P16
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Ms. Brigette Piazza
12bvp@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Piazza:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop COGS 100 (F 2013), PHYS P16 and PSYC 271 (W 2014) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
Your appeal requesting to drop PSYC 251 (W 2014) past the academic deadline cannot be heard because there is a Level II Finding of a Departure from Academic Integrity assigned to you in this particular course. According to Academic Regulation 1.3 of the Arts and Science Calendar, €œIf the penalty amounts to a failure in the class, the student may not drop the class, regardless of the drop deadlines€. Information on appealing the Finding or sanction assigned in this case was included in your decision letter.
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 your appeal does describe several different circumstances that are extenuating in nature the timeline of these circumstances is not clear. It is also not clear what specific effect or impact your circumstances had on these particular courses. Your letter cites that the heavy work load of these courses contributed to the exacerbation of your condition. However, taking on a heavy work load in itself is not considered to be an extenuating circumstance that would warrant waiving the academic regulations. Upper year students are expected to be able to gauge their overall health and their academic progress in courses and make decisions within the drop deadlines. If you felt that your course load was more than you could handle you were expected to drop courses accordingly within the drop deadlines. Lastly, there is no explanation provided as to why your circumstances only affected these particular courses as it appears from your transcript that you performed well in your other courses from the 2014 winter term
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit a letter of intent to appeal within 21 days of receiving this decision. Appeal forms are available from this office (F200 Mackintosh-Corry Hall) or on the web: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/help/forms General information on appeals is available at http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/academics/academic-appeals. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Dispute Resolution Mechanisms Coordinator for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 153 Richardson Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (drm@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10060962Piazza3
Generated September 24, 2014 at 2:21:31 PM.