Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 9477
Decision Date: October 5, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson
Student Name: Alexa Lombardo
Student Email: 18acl13@queensu.ca
Dear Alexa,
On Thursday, 29 September, the Board of Studies reviewed your appeal of Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson??s decision to deny your petition for CR standing in MATH 121 (Fall-Winter 2019??2020). Board members present that day were Scott-Morgan Straker (Chair), Karine Bertrand (Faculty member), Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant (Faculty member) and Emma Farrell (Student representative). Pamela Briand (Arts and Science resource staff) was also present. The Board carefully considered the written submissions contained in your file, and voted to uphold the Associate Dean??s decision to deny your petition for CR standing in MATH 121.
The Board recognizes that you were seriously ill for a period of approximately two months, starting roughly in mid-March 2020 and extending to some time in May, and that this illness prevented you from writing the final exam in MATH 121. However, Academic Regulation 10.3.2 states that Credit Standing is reserved for students who have completed all of the work in a course and earned a passing grade, but owing to extenuating circumstances beyond their control earned a grade lower than might have been expected. As Associate Dean Stephenson points out in her decision letter, your result on the December exam in MATH 121 suggests that your struggles in this course predated your illness; the Board therefore cannot determine whether your final grade in the course is indeed lower than might have been expected. Therefore, the Board agrees with the Associate Dean that you do not meet the criteria for Credit Standing.
As to the option of converting letter grades to P by the deadline of 10 June 2020, the Board notes that that deadline was very well publicized at the time. Students are expected to monitor their Queen??s e-mail or other university communication channels, unless they can demonstrate with documentation that they were unable to do so. As Associate Dean Stephenson points out, the appeals process is document-based: in the absence of documentation establishing your inability to act by the 10 June deadline, the Board upholds the Associate Dean??s decision that your final grade in MATH 121 should stand.
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, this is the last step in the appeal process for this matter, since your ability to progress to the next level is not affected by this decision.
I understand that this result comes as a disappointment. Nevertheless, on behalf of the Board of Studies I wish you continued academic success, and a positive outcome on your graduate school applications.
Sincerely,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Chair, Board of Studies
Decision Date: October 5, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson
Student Name: Alexa Lombardo
Student Email: 18acl13@queensu.ca
Dear Alexa,
On Thursday, 29 September, the Board of Studies reviewed your appeal of Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson??s decision to deny your petition for CR standing in MATH 121 (Fall-Winter 2019??2020). Board members present that day were Scott-Morgan Straker (Chair), Karine Bertrand (Faculty member), Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant (Faculty member) and Emma Farrell (Student representative). Pamela Briand (Arts and Science resource staff) was also present. The Board carefully considered the written submissions contained in your file, and voted to uphold the Associate Dean??s decision to deny your petition for CR standing in MATH 121.
The Board recognizes that you were seriously ill for a period of approximately two months, starting roughly in mid-March 2020 and extending to some time in May, and that this illness prevented you from writing the final exam in MATH 121. However, Academic Regulation 10.3.2 states that Credit Standing is reserved for students who have completed all of the work in a course and earned a passing grade, but owing to extenuating circumstances beyond their control earned a grade lower than might have been expected. As Associate Dean Stephenson points out in her decision letter, your result on the December exam in MATH 121 suggests that your struggles in this course predated your illness; the Board therefore cannot determine whether your final grade in the course is indeed lower than might have been expected. Therefore, the Board agrees with the Associate Dean that you do not meet the criteria for Credit Standing.
As to the option of converting letter grades to P by the deadline of 10 June 2020, the Board notes that that deadline was very well publicized at the time. Students are expected to monitor their Queen??s e-mail or other university communication channels, unless they can demonstrate with documentation that they were unable to do so. As Associate Dean Stephenson points out, the appeals process is document-based: in the absence of documentation establishing your inability to act by the 10 June deadline, the Board upholds the Associate Dean??s decision that your final grade in MATH 121 should stand.
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, this is the last step in the appeal process for this matter, since your ability to progress to the next level is not affected by this decision.
I understand that this result comes as a disappointment. Nevertheless, on behalf of the Board of Studies I wish you continued academic success, and a positive outcome on your graduate school applications.
Sincerely,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Chair, Board of Studies
Generated October 5, 2022 at 12:02:54 PM.