Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 6328
Decision Date: December 12, 2019
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Sebastian Vaillancourt
Student Email: vaillancourtsebastian@gmail.com
Course: RELS 237
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Sebastian Vaillancourt:
I received your letter of appeal requesting a late drop in RELS 237 (F 2019) and I am sorry to have read that you were not able to juggle this course with your competing demands. After reviewing your appeal letter, 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. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
I am sure this is a disappointing decision, but your appeal does not describe any circumstances that are extenuating in nature and it does not supply any relevant documentation. A busy schedule is not a sufficient reason to alter a grade on a transcript. 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.
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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the higher grade will be included in your GPA and the lower grade will be excluded. Going forward, I strongly suggest that you pause and evaluate your progress in your courses during week 7 of term. If you have fallen behind in your studies due to your health or other extenuating circumstances, you should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline date.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
20055427Vaillancourt
Decision Date: December 12, 2019
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Sebastian Vaillancourt
Student Email: vaillancourtsebastian@gmail.com
Course: RELS 237
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Sebastian Vaillancourt:
I received your letter of appeal requesting a late drop in RELS 237 (F 2019) and I am sorry to have read that you were not able to juggle this course with your competing demands. After reviewing your appeal letter, 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. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
I am sure this is a disappointing decision, but your appeal does not describe any circumstances that are extenuating in nature and it does not supply any relevant documentation. A busy schedule is not a sufficient reason to alter a grade on a transcript. 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.
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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the higher grade will be included in your GPA and the lower grade will be excluded. Going forward, I strongly suggest that you pause and evaluate your progress in your courses during week 7 of term. If you have fallen behind in your studies due to your health or other extenuating circumstances, you should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline date.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
20055427Vaillancourt
Generated December 12, 2019 at 10:45:53 AM.