Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 689
Decision Date: January 28, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Rose Ombuoro
Student Email: 6rmbo@queensu.ca
Course: 228
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Habib
Course: 209
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Bonnaventure
Ms. Rose Ombuoro
6rmbo@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Ombuoro:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add GPHY 209 and GPHY 228 (W 2015) 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.
While your appeal does present some extenuating circumstances, it is not clear why you were prevented from adding courses by the January 16 deadline. I understand that the delay in receiving your visa prevented you from being on campus by the start of the term but this did not prevent you from being able to add the courses on-line via SOLUS prior to travelling back to Kingston. In fact, you could have added the courses long before January and simply dropped them if your visa was not approved or if it did not arrive in time. In addition, your appeal did not supply any sufficient supporting documentation.
More importantly however, I am denying your appeal based on your current academic standing. You were required to withdraw for one year in 2002 and since that time you registered in one course and subsequently failed it. Your cumulative GPA now stands at 1.04 and in order to avoid a requirement to withdraw for a minimum of three years you must raise it to at least 1.60. Given your ongoing academic challenges, it would not be in your best academic interests to start two courses this late into the term given the risks you face of being required to withdraw again. I would strongly recommend that you concentrate your full efforts on the one course you are registered in and achieve the highest grade you can to raise your GPA. You may also take some on-line summer term courses to help you catch up on meeting your degree requirements. Summer term registration starts on March 2 and runs to Friday, May 1.
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 Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 237 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)
03783963Ombuoro
Decision Date: January 28, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Rose Ombuoro
Student Email: 6rmbo@queensu.ca
Course: 228
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Habib
Course: 209
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Bonnaventure
Ms. Rose Ombuoro
6rmbo@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Ombuoro:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add GPHY 209 and GPHY 228 (W 2015) 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.
While your appeal does present some extenuating circumstances, it is not clear why you were prevented from adding courses by the January 16 deadline. I understand that the delay in receiving your visa prevented you from being on campus by the start of the term but this did not prevent you from being able to add the courses on-line via SOLUS prior to travelling back to Kingston. In fact, you could have added the courses long before January and simply dropped them if your visa was not approved or if it did not arrive in time. In addition, your appeal did not supply any sufficient supporting documentation.
More importantly however, I am denying your appeal based on your current academic standing. You were required to withdraw for one year in 2002 and since that time you registered in one course and subsequently failed it. Your cumulative GPA now stands at 1.04 and in order to avoid a requirement to withdraw for a minimum of three years you must raise it to at least 1.60. Given your ongoing academic challenges, it would not be in your best academic interests to start two courses this late into the term given the risks you face of being required to withdraw again. I would strongly recommend that you concentrate your full efforts on the one course you are registered in and achieve the highest grade you can to raise your GPA. You may also take some on-line summer term courses to help you catch up on meeting your degree requirements. Summer term registration starts on March 2 and runs to Friday, May 1.
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 Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 237 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)
03783963Ombuoro
Generated January 28, 2015 at 9:27:36 AM.