Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 5632
Decision Date: June 4, 2019
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Cameron Muirhead
Student Email: cammuirhead97@gmail.com
Course: PPEC 200
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Cameron Muirhead:
I was sorry to read of the challenges you outline in your letter of appeal where you are requesting to drop PPEC 200 (W 2019) late. After carefully reviewing your appeal, 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. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however you have been unable to provide documentation which supports the extenuating circumstances you have outlined that are above and beyond what is covered by your accommodations. You note in your letter of appeal that you met with a counselor at the Student Wellness Centre and we had requested that you provide documentation from that office, but no documents have been received.
In the future, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in a course by week 7 of the term and if you are finding the material too difficult or have not kept up with the course work, you should drop the course by the week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadline is set at Week 8 to allow students plenty of time to assess their progress in a class and withdraw without any academic penalty if they feel that they cannot keep up with the demands or have the academic background needed to successfully complete it.
This is a difficult learning experience Cameron but one that will be valuable as you proceed with the pursuit of your university degree. Let me remind you that if you repeat a course of the same number and name, the grade from the first attempt will be excluded from your GPA, and the higher grade earned from the second attempt will be included in your GPA.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 the Office of the Ombudsman (www.queensu.ca/ombudsman) for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies) 10198045Muirhead
Decision Date: June 4, 2019
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Cameron Muirhead
Student Email: cammuirhead97@gmail.com
Course: PPEC 200
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Cameron Muirhead:
I was sorry to read of the challenges you outline in your letter of appeal where you are requesting to drop PPEC 200 (W 2019) late. After carefully reviewing your appeal, 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. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however you have been unable to provide documentation which supports the extenuating circumstances you have outlined that are above and beyond what is covered by your accommodations. You note in your letter of appeal that you met with a counselor at the Student Wellness Centre and we had requested that you provide documentation from that office, but no documents have been received.
In the future, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in a course by week 7 of the term and if you are finding the material too difficult or have not kept up with the course work, you should drop the course by the week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadline is set at Week 8 to allow students plenty of time to assess their progress in a class and withdraw without any academic penalty if they feel that they cannot keep up with the demands or have the academic background needed to successfully complete it.
This is a difficult learning experience Cameron but one that will be valuable as you proceed with the pursuit of your university degree. Let me remind you that if you repeat a course of the same number and name, the grade from the first attempt will be excluded from your GPA, and the higher grade earned from the second attempt will be included in your GPA.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 the Office of the Ombudsman (www.queensu.ca/ombudsman) for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies) 10198045Muirhead
Generated June 4, 2019 at 2:14:19 PM.