Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 7962
Decision Date: August 31, 2021
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Leah Tomlinson
Student Email: 18lnt@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY 389
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY 384
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Leah Tomlinson:
I am sorry to have read in your letter of appeal the health-related circumstances you outlined and of the reported impact they had on your studies. I have carefully considered your appeal to drop SOCY 389 and SOCY 384 (S 2021) past the academic deadline and 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.
I have denied this appeal based on the documentation you submitted which does not include your name nor does it include your doctor??s contact information and their College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario number. I cannot in therefore good conscience grant this appeal due to the missing elements in your documentation. You were contacted on August 16th by my office regarding your documentation and the missing elements but unfortunately, you have been unable to provide the details that I was seeking.
This is a disappointing decision I am sure Leah, 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. I strongly recommend that you consider registering in four courses in the upcoming terms since, as you noted in your letter of appeal, taking four courses was more manageable than taking 5 courses during the term.
Going forward, I would strongly suggest you pause and evaluate your progress in each of your courses prior to the drop date deadline each term, and if you have fallen behind or you are not performing in the course(s) to your satisfaction, you should drop courses by the drop date deadline.
You mention in your letter of appeal that you utilized our Academic Consideration service last year and I encourage you to continue to do so if additional consideration is required going forward. It is important that you proactively manage the impact of your condition on your academics prior to the drop date deadlines and that you not use the appeal process as a way to manage your health and academics. If this is a chronic condition, please talk to a counsellor at the Student Wellness office in Mitchell Hall about the possibility of registering with QSAS. A QSAS??Advisor??can help put into place appropriate accommodations to help you manage the impact of your health on your academics.??
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
??Board of Studies?). 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,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: August 31, 2021
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Leah Tomlinson
Student Email: 18lnt@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY 389
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY 384
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Leah Tomlinson:
I am sorry to have read in your letter of appeal the health-related circumstances you outlined and of the reported impact they had on your studies. I have carefully considered your appeal to drop SOCY 389 and SOCY 384 (S 2021) past the academic deadline and 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.
I have denied this appeal based on the documentation you submitted which does not include your name nor does it include your doctor??s contact information and their College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario number. I cannot in therefore good conscience grant this appeal due to the missing elements in your documentation. You were contacted on August 16th by my office regarding your documentation and the missing elements but unfortunately, you have been unable to provide the details that I was seeking.
This is a disappointing decision I am sure Leah, 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. I strongly recommend that you consider registering in four courses in the upcoming terms since, as you noted in your letter of appeal, taking four courses was more manageable than taking 5 courses during the term.
Going forward, I would strongly suggest you pause and evaluate your progress in each of your courses prior to the drop date deadline each term, and if you have fallen behind or you are not performing in the course(s) to your satisfaction, you should drop courses by the drop date deadline.
You mention in your letter of appeal that you utilized our Academic Consideration service last year and I encourage you to continue to do so if additional consideration is required going forward. It is important that you proactively manage the impact of your condition on your academics prior to the drop date deadlines and that you not use the appeal process as a way to manage your health and academics. If this is a chronic condition, please talk to a counsellor at the Student Wellness office in Mitchell Hall about the possibility of registering with QSAS. A QSAS??Advisor??can help put into place appropriate accommodations to help you manage the impact of your health on your academics.??
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
??Board of Studies?). 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,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated August 31, 2021 at 5:06:08 PM.