Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 7701
Decision Date: June 7, 2021
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Nicolas Marshall
Student Email: 19nbtm@queensu.ca
Course: CLST 304
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Nicolas Marshall:
I was interested to read your letter of appeal and I have carefully considered your request to drop CLST 304 (W 2021) late. 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 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, as determined by the Classical Studies Department, you did have the appropriate pre-requisite. In addition, not submitting two assignments because you were confused regarding the time is not considered grounds for granting an appeal, and I cannot in good conscience amend your transcript based on the circumstances you have outlined.
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 Nicolas but one that will be valuable as you proceed with the pursuit of your university degree. The long-term impact of a failure or low grade should not weigh particularly heavy when, and if, you apply to a graduate program. You may also repeat that course and if you do so, and earn a higher grade, the lowest attempt in the course will be excluded from your GPA and the higher 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 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) 20218341Marshall
Decision Date: June 7, 2021
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Nicolas Marshall
Student Email: 19nbtm@queensu.ca
Course: CLST 304
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Nicolas Marshall:
I was interested to read your letter of appeal and I have carefully considered your request to drop CLST 304 (W 2021) late. 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 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, as determined by the Classical Studies Department, you did have the appropriate pre-requisite. In addition, not submitting two assignments because you were confused regarding the time is not considered grounds for granting an appeal, and I cannot in good conscience amend your transcript based on the circumstances you have outlined.
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 Nicolas but one that will be valuable as you proceed with the pursuit of your university degree. The long-term impact of a failure or low grade should not weigh particularly heavy when, and if, you apply to a graduate program. You may also repeat that course and if you do so, and earn a higher grade, the lowest attempt in the course will be excluded from your GPA and the higher 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 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) 20218341Marshall
Generated June 7, 2021 at 9:22:03 AM.