Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 873
Decision Date: April 28, 2015
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Stefan Pagura
Student Email: stefan.pagura@queensu.ca
Mr. Stefan Pagura
stefan.pagura@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Pagura:
I have carefully considered your request to have your appeal heard after the 21-day timeline for submission. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
The appeal timeline is in place to give students sufficient time to respond to an academic decision. The 21-day timeline offers students time to seek academic counseling, to write up and submit an appeal, and to collect the supporting documents necessary to the appeal. Further, the appeal timeline is in place to ensure that decision making takes place in a timely manner, allowing students to continue in their academic programs without ongoing concern for unresolved matters.
To consider appeals outside these timelines can easily compromise fair decision making. The interested parties and the original contexts within which the matter originated may not be available. Over time, instructors, course content, the norms of evaluating course materials, and program structures may and generally do change. Furthermore, the supporting documents necessary to any appeal may no longer be available or their credibility may more easily come into question. Therefore, the inability to reconstruct accurately the circumstances leading to the original matter under appeal can compromise the decision-making process.
Exceptions to this regulation can only be granted in cases where extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control render the student unable to appeal within the specified timeline. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented the student from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the appeal was eventually initiated. Appeals of the regulation governing the timeline for appeals must be submitted in writing. An appeal of this type should include a presentation of the specific reasons for a delay and should include any document which support the reasons for delay.
Although your appeal letter indicates that you were incapacitated during 2011-12, it does not provide an explanation as to why you have been unable to submit this appeal at some point during the last two and a half years. The appeal to waive the 21-day deadline should provide documented extenuating circumstances that occurred from the time you received your poor grades in 2011-12 until the time when you were able to submit the appeal. Over two academic years have passed during which you have performed very well academically and it would therefore, be reasonable to assume that you were well enough to submit this appeal long before now. The grades in 6.0 units of courses will have a small overall effect on the GPA calculated over 99.0 units in weight and 274.5 grade points (not including your winter term grades) and I hope you are able to achieve your goal of graduating with distinction.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://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 Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 153 Richardson Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10006438Pagura
Decision Date: April 28, 2015
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Stefan Pagura
Student Email: stefan.pagura@queensu.ca
Mr. Stefan Pagura
stefan.pagura@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Pagura:
I have carefully considered your request to have your appeal heard after the 21-day timeline for submission. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
The appeal timeline is in place to give students sufficient time to respond to an academic decision. The 21-day timeline offers students time to seek academic counseling, to write up and submit an appeal, and to collect the supporting documents necessary to the appeal. Further, the appeal timeline is in place to ensure that decision making takes place in a timely manner, allowing students to continue in their academic programs without ongoing concern for unresolved matters.
To consider appeals outside these timelines can easily compromise fair decision making. The interested parties and the original contexts within which the matter originated may not be available. Over time, instructors, course content, the norms of evaluating course materials, and program structures may and generally do change. Furthermore, the supporting documents necessary to any appeal may no longer be available or their credibility may more easily come into question. Therefore, the inability to reconstruct accurately the circumstances leading to the original matter under appeal can compromise the decision-making process.
Exceptions to this regulation can only be granted in cases where extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control render the student unable to appeal within the specified timeline. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented the student from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the appeal was eventually initiated. Appeals of the regulation governing the timeline for appeals must be submitted in writing. An appeal of this type should include a presentation of the specific reasons for a delay and should include any document which support the reasons for delay.
Although your appeal letter indicates that you were incapacitated during 2011-12, it does not provide an explanation as to why you have been unable to submit this appeal at some point during the last two and a half years. The appeal to waive the 21-day deadline should provide documented extenuating circumstances that occurred from the time you received your poor grades in 2011-12 until the time when you were able to submit the appeal. Over two academic years have passed during which you have performed very well academically and it would therefore, be reasonable to assume that you were well enough to submit this appeal long before now. The grades in 6.0 units of courses will have a small overall effect on the GPA calculated over 99.0 units in weight and 274.5 grade points (not including your winter term grades) and I hope you are able to achieve your goal of graduating with distinction.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://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 Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 153 Richardson Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10006438Pagura
Generated April 28, 2015 at 9:18:46 AM.