Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 9152
Decision Date: August 18, 2022
Associate Dean: 0
Student Name: Zoe Belen Brown
Student Email: 19zabb@queensu.ca
Course: CHEM282
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Zechel
Course: MICR221
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Christopher Lohans
Dear Zoe:
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, the Board of Studies (Board) reviewed your appeal of Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson??s decision to deny your request to receive Aegrotat Standing (AG) for CHEM 282 and MICR 231 (Winter 2022). Members present that day were Johanne Bénard (Chair), James Mingo (Faculty member), Ivan Dimitrov (Faculty member), and Emma Farrell (Student representative). Pamela Briand (Arts and Science resource staff) was also present.
At this meeting, after carefully reviewing all written submissions contained in the file, the Board voted to uphold the Associate Dean??s decision to deny your appeal to receive Aegrotat Standing for CHEM 282 and MICR 221 (Winter 2022), finding it reasonable in light of the Faculty??s regulations and your academic record. However, we support the Associate Dean??s decision to offer you an extension of the incomplete grade for the two courses and allow you to write the deferred exams before December 31, 2022.
In your letter of appeal to the Board and in your earlier submission to the Associate Dean that was included in the file, you reported that mental health issues at the end of the Winter term prevented you from taking your exams in April 2022. At that time, you made the decision to write the exams during the deferred exam period (May 12-15), but an unexpected and emotionally taxing procedure prevented you from writing the deferred exams. The documentation included in your file are a physician??s note dated May 11, 2022, and a letter from a psychologist dated July 18, 2022, which both provide evidence of your on-going mental health problems. Email exchanges with your two instructors were also part of the file.
The Board recognizes the severity of your extenuating circumstances and sympathizes with your situation. Nonetheless, we agree with the Associate Dean that students are expected to complete all required course work to earn a credit for a course and that there is no evidence in your file that you are unable to complete the outstanding work in the two courses at a later date. We encourage you to continue to seek support for your mental health and, in consultation with the Faculty Office and your instructors, to find a suitable time for your deferred exams.
We appreciate that our decision is disappointing to you and want to assure you that every effort was made to explore all aspects of your appeal through discussion of your file.
In April 2021, the Queen??s University Senate released a new appeals policy, which you can read here: https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senate/student-academic-appeals-policy. According to this new policy, the Board of Appeals is the last step in the appeal process for this matter since your ability to progress to the next level has not been affected by this decision. Please also note that 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.
On behalf of the Board of Studies, I would like to wish you every success as you pursue your educational and career goals.
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard
Chair, Board of Studies
Decision Date: August 18, 2022
Associate Dean: 0
Student Name: Zoe Belen Brown
Student Email: 19zabb@queensu.ca
Course: CHEM282
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Zechel
Course: MICR221
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request aegrotat (AG) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Christopher Lohans
Dear Zoe:
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, the Board of Studies (Board) reviewed your appeal of Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson??s decision to deny your request to receive Aegrotat Standing (AG) for CHEM 282 and MICR 231 (Winter 2022). Members present that day were Johanne Bénard (Chair), James Mingo (Faculty member), Ivan Dimitrov (Faculty member), and Emma Farrell (Student representative). Pamela Briand (Arts and Science resource staff) was also present.
At this meeting, after carefully reviewing all written submissions contained in the file, the Board voted to uphold the Associate Dean??s decision to deny your appeal to receive Aegrotat Standing for CHEM 282 and MICR 221 (Winter 2022), finding it reasonable in light of the Faculty??s regulations and your academic record. However, we support the Associate Dean??s decision to offer you an extension of the incomplete grade for the two courses and allow you to write the deferred exams before December 31, 2022.
In your letter of appeal to the Board and in your earlier submission to the Associate Dean that was included in the file, you reported that mental health issues at the end of the Winter term prevented you from taking your exams in April 2022. At that time, you made the decision to write the exams during the deferred exam period (May 12-15), but an unexpected and emotionally taxing procedure prevented you from writing the deferred exams. The documentation included in your file are a physician??s note dated May 11, 2022, and a letter from a psychologist dated July 18, 2022, which both provide evidence of your on-going mental health problems. Email exchanges with your two instructors were also part of the file.
The Board recognizes the severity of your extenuating circumstances and sympathizes with your situation. Nonetheless, we agree with the Associate Dean that students are expected to complete all required course work to earn a credit for a course and that there is no evidence in your file that you are unable to complete the outstanding work in the two courses at a later date. We encourage you to continue to seek support for your mental health and, in consultation with the Faculty Office and your instructors, to find a suitable time for your deferred exams.
We appreciate that our decision is disappointing to you and want to assure you that every effort was made to explore all aspects of your appeal through discussion of your file.
In April 2021, the Queen??s University Senate released a new appeals policy, which you can read here: https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senate/student-academic-appeals-policy. According to this new policy, the Board of Appeals is the last step in the appeal process for this matter since your ability to progress to the next level has not been affected by this decision. Please also note that 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.
On behalf of the Board of Studies, I would like to wish you every success as you pursue your educational and career goals.
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard
Chair, Board of Studies
Generated August 18, 2022 at 9:04:23 AM.