Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 798
Decision Date: May 11, 2015
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Hillary Kerr
Student Email: 1htk@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 366
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Charles C. Pentland
Course: POLS 211
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 313
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 342
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Normand Perreault
Course: WRIT 295
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Robert G. May
Course: POLS 280
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 384
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ms. Kerr:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop POLS 211, POLS 313 (F 2013), POLS 280, POLS 384 (W 2014), FILM 240, HIST 280A, PHYS P20 and WRIT 125 (F 2014) past the academic deadline as well as receive Credit standing in POLS 366 (F 2013), POLS 342 and WRIT 295 (W 2014). After reviewing your file 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 and Credit standing will only be granted under exceptional 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 documentation indicating that the student€™s performance was significantly compromised by extenuating 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. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
While your appeal does certainly describe circumstances that are extenuating in nature, the documentation supplied is not sufficient. You are requesting changes to your registration in 11 courses over three terms. This is a significant request and unfortunately you have provided very little documentation from a health care professional. Your appeal letter indicates that you saw several different health care professionals about your mental state in 2013-14, and that you were treated by your family doctor and prescribed anti-depressant medication. However, you have not submitted any documentation that verifies the timeline of your problems, their severity or the effect that they had on your studies over these terms. The documentation you supplied relates to your problems in January 2015 which is long after the problems you describe in your appeal letter.
If you are able to provide proper documentation, you may submit it to the Faculty Office within the next 21-days of receiving this decision and I would be willing to review your appeal again with the new documentation included.
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 237 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10022951Kerr2
Decision Date: May 11, 2015
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Hillary Kerr
Student Email: 1htk@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 366
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Charles C. Pentland
Course: POLS 211
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 313
Term: Fall
Year: 2013
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 342
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Normand Perreault
Course: WRIT 295
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Robert G. May
Course: POLS 280
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 384
Term: Winter
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ms. Kerr:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop POLS 211, POLS 313 (F 2013), POLS 280, POLS 384 (W 2014), FILM 240, HIST 280A, PHYS P20 and WRIT 125 (F 2014) past the academic deadline as well as receive Credit standing in POLS 366 (F 2013), POLS 342 and WRIT 295 (W 2014). After reviewing your file 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 and Credit standing will only be granted under exceptional 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 documentation indicating that the student€™s performance was significantly compromised by extenuating 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. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
While your appeal does certainly describe circumstances that are extenuating in nature, the documentation supplied is not sufficient. You are requesting changes to your registration in 11 courses over three terms. This is a significant request and unfortunately you have provided very little documentation from a health care professional. Your appeal letter indicates that you saw several different health care professionals about your mental state in 2013-14, and that you were treated by your family doctor and prescribed anti-depressant medication. However, you have not submitted any documentation that verifies the timeline of your problems, their severity or the effect that they had on your studies over these terms. The documentation you supplied relates to your problems in January 2015 which is long after the problems you describe in your appeal letter.
If you are able to provide proper documentation, you may submit it to the Faculty Office within the next 21-days of receiving this decision and I would be willing to review your appeal again with the new documentation included.
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 237 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10022951Kerr2
Generated May 11, 2015 at 10:04:36 AM.