Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Number: 8783
Decision Date: March 14, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Jasmine Modupe
Student Email: 15jmm9@queensu.ca

Course: CLST 130
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Sveva Savelli

Course: PHIL 347
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PHIL 328
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PHIL 318
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PHIL 204
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: ANAT 100
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Dear Jasmine Modupe:

I have carefully considered your appeal for Credit standing in CLST 130 (F19) and to drop ANAT 100, PHIL 204, PHIL 318, PHIL 328 and PHIL 347 (F19) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.

I acknowledge that you had been experiencing ongoing mental health issues when the 2019 Fall term began and I want to commend you on registering with Queen??s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) at that time. I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a disappointing decision however, the documentation that you supplied confirms that your extenuating circumstances were ongoing before the academic drop deadline of the term. They also suggest that you were to be accommodated appropriately during the remainder of that term.

As you know, the appeals process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. 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 reasons indicating that the student??s performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond their control. With the absence of documentation that can confirm that your academic ability in these classes continued to be impacted by your extenuating circumstances despite being accommodated through QSAS, I cannot grant this appeal.

Going forward, I suggest that you continue to work with your QSAS Advisor who can help you best manage the impacts of your health on your academics. I would also suggest that you take time to assess the impacts of extenuating circumstances on your academics during week 7 of each term. If you have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course by week 8 of the term. The drop deadlines, as they have been outlined in the ??Important Dates? section on the Arts and Science web page, have been established by the Faculty of Arts and Science to ensure a fair and equitable treatment of all students.

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 Ombudsman (www.queensu.ca/ombudsman) for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative.

Sincerely,

Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academics)