Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 8795
Decision Date: April 13, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: CRYSTAL O'DEA
Student Email: 13cnlo@queensu.ca
Course: BIOL 102
Term: Summer
Year: 2015
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Kenneth KO
Course: BIOL 103
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Christopher Moyes
Course: PSYC 251
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Laura De La Roche
Dear Crystal O??Dea:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit Standing in BIOL 102 (S15), PSYC 251 (F21), and BIOL 103 (F21). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
1) To grant your request for Credit Standing in BIOL 102 (S15) as I acknowledge that you experienced extenuating circumstances during the 2015 Fall term and had not yet sought the appropriate supports. Also, the documentation that you supplied confirms that the health issues that you reported in your appeal letter impacted your academic ability during that term.
2) To deny your request for Credit Standing in PSYC 251 (F21) and BIOL 103 (F21). I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a disappointing decision however, I want you to know that competing commitments such as taking classes at other institutions and work-related responsibilities are not considered to be extenuating circumstances. Also, the information that I received from your instructor of PSYC 251 (S21) was that you were provided multiple extensions on many components in this course. They also reported that they went above their duty to accommodate by accepting and grading some work from you that was submitted after the agreed upon extended deadlines. The information that I received from your instructor of BIOL 103 (F21) was that you did not complete all of the components in this course including a few quizzes and an essay and so you are not eligible for Credit Standing in it.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed all of the work of the course including the final examination, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower?. 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 his or her control. In general, an appeal would be successful when there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of an academic regulation.
If you are concerned with their impacts of these courses on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating PSYC 251 and BIOL 103 in a future term. When repeating a course, both attempts will appear on your transcript however only the higher attempt will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
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.
??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,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academics)
Decision Date: April 13, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: CRYSTAL O'DEA
Student Email: 13cnlo@queensu.ca
Course: BIOL 102
Term: Summer
Year: 2015
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Kenneth KO
Course: BIOL 103
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Christopher Moyes
Course: PSYC 251
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Laura De La Roche
Dear Crystal O??Dea:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit Standing in BIOL 102 (S15), PSYC 251 (F21), and BIOL 103 (F21). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
1) To grant your request for Credit Standing in BIOL 102 (S15) as I acknowledge that you experienced extenuating circumstances during the 2015 Fall term and had not yet sought the appropriate supports. Also, the documentation that you supplied confirms that the health issues that you reported in your appeal letter impacted your academic ability during that term.
2) To deny your request for Credit Standing in PSYC 251 (F21) and BIOL 103 (F21). I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a disappointing decision however, I want you to know that competing commitments such as taking classes at other institutions and work-related responsibilities are not considered to be extenuating circumstances. Also, the information that I received from your instructor of PSYC 251 (S21) was that you were provided multiple extensions on many components in this course. They also reported that they went above their duty to accommodate by accepting and grading some work from you that was submitted after the agreed upon extended deadlines. The information that I received from your instructor of BIOL 103 (F21) was that you did not complete all of the components in this course including a few quizzes and an essay and so you are not eligible for Credit Standing in it.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed all of the work of the course including the final examination, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower?. 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 his or her control. In general, an appeal would be successful when there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of an academic regulation.
If you are concerned with their impacts of these courses on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating PSYC 251 and BIOL 103 in a future term. When repeating a course, both attempts will appear on your transcript however only the higher attempt will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
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.
??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,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academics)
Generated April 13, 2022 at 12:11:15 PM.