Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 3887
Decision Date: October 24, 2017
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Aman Paulos
Student Email: 15ap34@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Rob Beamish
Dear Mr. Paulos:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add SOCY 122 (FW 2017/18) 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.
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.
Your appeal does not present any extenuating circumstances which prevented you from adding these courses by the deadline, nor does it supply any sufficient supporting documentation. I am also mindful of the fact that we are now in Week 7 of the fall term. This is very late in the academic year to be able to catch up in a course with a reasonable level of success. Given that you are interested in pursuing Sociology as a minor, it is especially important that you earn a strong grade in this course to gain entry to that Plan as well as meet the minimum grade prerequisite of C- to take further SOCY classes.
Your transcript shows that you have completed 24.0 units to date so you should have plenty of time and room to take SOCY 122 next year and still pursue a minor.
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,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
cc: Professor R. Beamish
10203310Paulos2
Decision Date: October 24, 2017
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Aman Paulos
Student Email: 15ap34@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Rob Beamish
Dear Mr. Paulos:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add SOCY 122 (FW 2017/18) 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.
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.
Your appeal does not present any extenuating circumstances which prevented you from adding these courses by the deadline, nor does it supply any sufficient supporting documentation. I am also mindful of the fact that we are now in Week 7 of the fall term. This is very late in the academic year to be able to catch up in a course with a reasonable level of success. Given that you are interested in pursuing Sociology as a minor, it is especially important that you earn a strong grade in this course to gain entry to that Plan as well as meet the minimum grade prerequisite of C- to take further SOCY classes.
Your transcript shows that you have completed 24.0 units to date so you should have plenty of time and room to take SOCY 122 next year and still pursue a minor.
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,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
cc: Professor R. Beamish
10203310Paulos2
Generated October 24, 2017 at 3:41:39 PM.