Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 4234
Decision Date: March 29, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Mark Sinclair
Student Email: mark.sinclair@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 391
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 293
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Sinclair:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop POLS 391 and PHIL 293 (F 2017) 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 extenuating 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 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 some circumstances that sound extenuating in nature, there is no documentation supplied to confirm the timeline or severity of them, nor confirm the specific impact they had on these courses. Unfortunately, without such documentation, I am not able to waive the Faculty Regulation.
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)
10193876Sinclair
Decision Date: March 29, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Mark Sinclair
Student Email: mark.sinclair@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 391
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 293
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Sinclair:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop POLS 391 and PHIL 293 (F 2017) 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 extenuating 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 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 some circumstances that sound extenuating in nature, there is no documentation supplied to confirm the timeline or severity of them, nor confirm the specific impact they had on these courses. Unfortunately, without such documentation, I am not able to waive the Faculty Regulation.
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)
10193876Sinclair
Generated March 29, 2018 at 8:53:40 AM.

