Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 7961
Decision Date: August 31, 2021
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: ALI HAIDER CHEEMA
Student Email: alicheemaofficial@yahoo.com
Course: POLS 110B
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 101
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 121
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ali Haider Cheema:
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 CISC 101 (F 2020), POLS 110 (FW 2020/21) and CISC 101, CISC 121 (W 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 since you have provided no explanation as to why you did not drop these courses by the Week 8 drop date deadline each term nor why you did not use Academic Consideration. Additionally, you were contacted on August 16th by my office regarding your documentation which was missing key elements including information concerning the severity and impact your circumstances had on your studies, as well as the author??s contact information. Unfortunately, you have been unable to provide the details that I was seeking.
This is a disappointing decision I am sure Ali, 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.
Going forward, I would strongly suggest you pause and evaluate your progress in each of your courses prior to the week 8 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.
Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop date deadline is our Academic Consideration service. A student can request short term consideration if they need more time to complete an assignment or had to miss a class. Here is the link for information about that process:
https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/academic-consideration-for-students
Ali, in your letter of appeal you mention that you have been struggling with your mental health for some time and I strongly encourage you to discuss this with your health professional or reach out to our Student Wellness Services office for assistance. It is important that you proactively manage the impact of your condition on your academics. If this is a chronic condition, please talk to a counsellor 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: ALI HAIDER CHEEMA
Student Email: alicheemaofficial@yahoo.com
Course: POLS 110B
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 101
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 121
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ali Haider Cheema:
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 CISC 101 (F 2020), POLS 110 (FW 2020/21) and CISC 101, CISC 121 (W 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 since you have provided no explanation as to why you did not drop these courses by the Week 8 drop date deadline each term nor why you did not use Academic Consideration. Additionally, you were contacted on August 16th by my office regarding your documentation which was missing key elements including information concerning the severity and impact your circumstances had on your studies, as well as the author??s contact information. Unfortunately, you have been unable to provide the details that I was seeking.
This is a disappointing decision I am sure Ali, 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.
Going forward, I would strongly suggest you pause and evaluate your progress in each of your courses prior to the week 8 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.
Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop date deadline is our Academic Consideration service. A student can request short term consideration if they need more time to complete an assignment or had to miss a class. Here is the link for information about that process:
https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/academic-consideration-for-students
Ali, in your letter of appeal you mention that you have been struggling with your mental health for some time and I strongly encourage you to discuss this with your health professional or reach out to our Student Wellness Services office for assistance. It is important that you proactively manage the impact of your condition on your academics. If this is a chronic condition, please talk to a counsellor 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 5:13:22 PM.