Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 6441
Decision Date: April 1, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Shania Jagnandan
Student Email: 15psj@queensu.ca
Course: BIOL 321
Term: Summer
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Laura Nagel
Course: BIOL 334
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Shania Jagnandan:
I am sorry to have read in your letter of appeal the personal and health related challenges you report that you experienced and I have carefully considered your appeal to drop BIOL 334 (W 2018) and BIOL 321 (S 2019) 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 €œextenuating 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.
Your appeal explains that you experienced a difficult situation prior to your second year at university and that you experience health related challenges after that. Since the impact of these circumstances on your studies was known to you, as you suggest in your letter of appeal, you should have dropped these courses by the drop date deadlines. The appeals process is not meant to manage circumstances that were ongoing and known to you. Additionally, it is not clear why some courses were impacted by these circumstances during those specific terms more so than other courses, which you did very well in.
This is a disappointing decision I am sure Shania, but let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the low grade is excluded from their grade point average and the higher grade is included which would mean there would be no long term negative impact on 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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic) 10197627Jagnandan
Decision Date: April 1, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Shania Jagnandan
Student Email: 15psj@queensu.ca
Course: BIOL 321
Term: Summer
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Laura Nagel
Course: BIOL 334
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Shania Jagnandan:
I am sorry to have read in your letter of appeal the personal and health related challenges you report that you experienced and I have carefully considered your appeal to drop BIOL 334 (W 2018) and BIOL 321 (S 2019) 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 €œextenuating 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.
Your appeal explains that you experienced a difficult situation prior to your second year at university and that you experience health related challenges after that. Since the impact of these circumstances on your studies was known to you, as you suggest in your letter of appeal, you should have dropped these courses by the drop date deadlines. The appeals process is not meant to manage circumstances that were ongoing and known to you. Additionally, it is not clear why some courses were impacted by these circumstances during those specific terms more so than other courses, which you did very well in.
This is a disappointing decision I am sure Shania, but let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the low grade is excluded from their grade point average and the higher grade is included which would mean there would be no long term negative impact on 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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic) 10197627Jagnandan
Generated April 1, 2020 at 10:39:41 AM.