Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 4463
Decision Date: May 15, 2018
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Mitchel Shaughnessy
Student Email: 14mks1@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 271
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Dr. Tyson Baker
Course: BIOL 341
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: ANAT 215
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: BIOL 330
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Shaughnessy:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop ANAT 215, BIOL 330 (F 2017) and BIOL 341 (W 2018) past the academic deadline as well as receive Credit standing in PSYC 271 (F 2017). 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 are extenuating in nature, the documentation supplied is not sufficient. The letter supplied by Dr. Eldridge dated June 29, 2017 confirms that you were diagnosed with depression but it does not cover the timeframe during which you took these courses. It also does not confirm the severity of your condition or the specific impact that it had on your fall and winter term courses. Without such documentation, I cannot justify altering a transcript.
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)
10152247Shaughnessy
Decision Date: May 15, 2018
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Mitchel Shaughnessy
Student Email: 14mks1@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 271
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Dr. Tyson Baker
Course: BIOL 341
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: ANAT 215
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: BIOL 330
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Shaughnessy:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop ANAT 215, BIOL 330 (F 2017) and BIOL 341 (W 2018) past the academic deadline as well as receive Credit standing in PSYC 271 (F 2017). 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 are extenuating in nature, the documentation supplied is not sufficient. The letter supplied by Dr. Eldridge dated June 29, 2017 confirms that you were diagnosed with depression but it does not cover the timeframe during which you took these courses. It also does not confirm the severity of your condition or the specific impact that it had on your fall and winter term courses. Without such documentation, I cannot justify altering a transcript.
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)
10152247Shaughnessy
Generated May 15, 2018 at 3:46:45 PM.