Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 8421
Decision Date: January 10, 2022
Associate Dean: Amitava Chowdhury, Ph.D.
Student Name: Olivia Dyer
Student Email: 18olhd@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 100
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Olivia Dyer:
I have read with interest your appeal to drop ANAT 100 (F 2021), taking note of the challenges you outlined. After reviewing your appeal fully, 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 circumstances and 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, often taking place after the drop deadline.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however you did make the decision to not drop this course prior to the drop date, even though you report you were struggling since the first week of September. 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.
Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop 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 due to documented extenuating circumstances. Here is the link for information about that process:
https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/academic-consideration-for-students
Olivia, let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included. I encourage you to reach out to Student Wellness Services in the future if you continue to feel overwhelmed and to consider taking advantage of the services available at Student Academic Success Services (SASS) if you feel the support available in that office would also be helpful.
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).
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen??s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
Sincerely,
Amitava Chowdhury, Ph.D.
Special Advisor to the Dean
Faculty of Arts and Science
20173373Dyer
Decision Date: January 10, 2022
Associate Dean: Amitava Chowdhury, Ph.D.
Student Name: Olivia Dyer
Student Email: 18olhd@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 100
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Olivia Dyer:
I have read with interest your appeal to drop ANAT 100 (F 2021), taking note of the challenges you outlined. After reviewing your appeal fully, 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 circumstances and 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, often taking place after the drop deadline.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however you did make the decision to not drop this course prior to the drop date, even though you report you were struggling since the first week of September. 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.
Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop 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 due to documented extenuating circumstances. Here is the link for information about that process:
https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/academic-consideration-for-students
Olivia, let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included. I encourage you to reach out to Student Wellness Services in the future if you continue to feel overwhelmed and to consider taking advantage of the services available at Student Academic Success Services (SASS) if you feel the support available in that office would also be helpful.
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).
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen??s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
Sincerely,
Amitava Chowdhury, Ph.D.
Special Advisor to the Dean
Faculty of Arts and Science
20173373Dyer
Generated January 10, 2022 at 10:08:08 AM.