Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Number: 6910
Decision Date: September 21, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Kayla Settembrini-Arviv
Student Email: 18kssa@queensu.ca

Course: PSYC271
Term: Summer
Year: 2020
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Monica Valsangkar-Smyth


Dear Kayla Settembrivi-Arviv:

I am sorry to have read that you struggled with health related challenges during the Summer term 2020 and I understand that you are seeking Credit standing in PSYC 271 (S 2020) due to the impact those circumstances had on this course. After reviewing your appeal letter and the information we have received from your instructor, I have decided to deny your request.

As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower.€ Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student€™s control. 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 extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.

I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however, there is no documentation submitted which confirms the impact your circumstances had on your studies and this course in particular. The information from your instructor offers proof that when you contacted the instructor, he encouraged you to defer the final exam if you did not think you would be able to perform to the best of your ability but you decided to write the final exam on the scheduled day. And finally, as noted above, Credit standing is normally an option for students who earned a grade of C or lower and you earned a grade of C+ in this course.

Going forward, I suggest that you inform yourself of the academic regulations concerning deadlines as they are outlined in the Important Dates section on the Arts and Science web page and assess your progress in your courses prior to the drop dates. If you find that you have fallen behind in your attendance, readings or assignments, it is your responsibility to drop courses by that deadline date.

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)

20132983Settembrivi-Arviv