Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 8617
Decision Date: February 14, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Harini Thirimadura Wijeratne
Student Email: 15hstw@queensu.ca
Course: GPHY 370
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Carolyn Prouse
Course: GPHY 327
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Laura Cameron
Course: GPHY 368
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Laura Cameron
Course: RELS 393
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: FILM 340
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MUSC 171
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Robb MacKay
Dear Harini Thirimadura Wijeratne:
I have carefully considered your appeal for an Extension of the Deadline to Submit Incomplete Work or to Complete a Deferred Examination in a Class in GPHY 368 (F20), GPHY 370 (W21) and MUSC 171 (S21), to Drop RELS 393 (F20), and FILM 240 (W21) After the Academic Deadline, and for Credit Standing in GPHY 327 (W21). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
1. To grant your request for an Extension of the Deadline to Submit Incomplete Work or to Complete a Deferred Examination in GPHY 368 (F20) as the documentation that you supplied confirms that you were impacted by extenuating circumstances during the 2020 Fall term that you had not yet sought professional support for. Also, the information that I received from your instructor confirms that you have already submitted the outstanding work in this course and that they are supportive of this request.
2. To grant your request to Drop RELS 393 (F20) after the Academic Deadline as the documentation that you supplied confirms that you were impacted by extenuating circumstances during the 2020 Fall term that you had not yet sought professional support for.
3. To deny your request for an Extension of the Deadline to Submit Incomplete Work or to Complete a Deferred Examination in GPHY 370 (W21) and MUSC 171 (S21). According to Academic Regulation 10.3.4 ??Incomplete standing (IN) is a temporary designation reserved for a course in which a student who, because of extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, has not completed all term work for a course or requests permission to defer the writing of a final examination. The student must have participated actively in the class and only one or two elements of the class may be outstanding?. The information that I received from your instructors indicates that you had only completed 30% of the work in GPHY 370 during the 2021 Winter term and 15% of the work in MUSC 171 during the 2021 Summer term. As there was so much work left outstanding in these classes and that your extenuating circumstances were actively being managed during both of these terms, I cannot waive this regulation.
4. To deny your request to Drop FILM 240 (W21) after the Academic Deadline and for Credit Standing in GPHY 327 (W21) for these same reasons. 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 am certainly
sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however the documentation that you provided indicates that you had been experiencing these extenuating circumstances since the Fall of 2020 and that you had sought professional support for in January of 2021. The appeals process is not meant to manage a chronic condition. Going forward, I would suggest that you to carefully evaluate your progress in your courses prior to the academic week 8 drop deadline and drop classes if you find that you cannot keep up with their academic demands.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean??s decision to the Board of Studies, information about this appeal option and the 21 day deadline 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,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: February 14, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Harini Thirimadura Wijeratne
Student Email: 15hstw@queensu.ca
Course: GPHY 370
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Carolyn Prouse
Course: GPHY 327
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Laura Cameron
Course: GPHY 368
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Laura Cameron
Course: RELS 393
Term: Fall
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: FILM 340
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MUSC 171
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Robb MacKay
Dear Harini Thirimadura Wijeratne:
I have carefully considered your appeal for an Extension of the Deadline to Submit Incomplete Work or to Complete a Deferred Examination in a Class in GPHY 368 (F20), GPHY 370 (W21) and MUSC 171 (S21), to Drop RELS 393 (F20), and FILM 240 (W21) After the Academic Deadline, and for Credit Standing in GPHY 327 (W21). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
1. To grant your request for an Extension of the Deadline to Submit Incomplete Work or to Complete a Deferred Examination in GPHY 368 (F20) as the documentation that you supplied confirms that you were impacted by extenuating circumstances during the 2020 Fall term that you had not yet sought professional support for. Also, the information that I received from your instructor confirms that you have already submitted the outstanding work in this course and that they are supportive of this request.
2. To grant your request to Drop RELS 393 (F20) after the Academic Deadline as the documentation that you supplied confirms that you were impacted by extenuating circumstances during the 2020 Fall term that you had not yet sought professional support for.
3. To deny your request for an Extension of the Deadline to Submit Incomplete Work or to Complete a Deferred Examination in GPHY 370 (W21) and MUSC 171 (S21). According to Academic Regulation 10.3.4 ??Incomplete standing (IN) is a temporary designation reserved for a course in which a student who, because of extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, has not completed all term work for a course or requests permission to defer the writing of a final examination. The student must have participated actively in the class and only one or two elements of the class may be outstanding?. The information that I received from your instructors indicates that you had only completed 30% of the work in GPHY 370 during the 2021 Winter term and 15% of the work in MUSC 171 during the 2021 Summer term. As there was so much work left outstanding in these classes and that your extenuating circumstances were actively being managed during both of these terms, I cannot waive this regulation.
4. To deny your request to Drop FILM 240 (W21) after the Academic Deadline and for Credit Standing in GPHY 327 (W21) for these same reasons. 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 am certainly
sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however the documentation that you provided indicates that you had been experiencing these extenuating circumstances since the Fall of 2020 and that you had sought professional support for in January of 2021. The appeals process is not meant to manage a chronic condition. Going forward, I would suggest that you to carefully evaluate your progress in your courses prior to the academic week 8 drop deadline and drop classes if you find that you cannot keep up with their academic demands.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean??s decision to the Board of Studies, information about this appeal option and the 21 day deadline 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,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated February 14, 2022 at 1:43:23 PM.