Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 1009
Decision Date: May 26, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: James Lau
Student Email: 0jl59@queensu.ca
Course: ECON 240
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor: Art Stewart
Additional Information: N/A
Course: ECON 223
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor: Anya Hageman
Additional Information: N/A
Course: ECON 360
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor: Jan Zabojnik
Additional Information: N/A
Mr. James Lau
0jl59@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Lau:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit standing in ECON 223, ECON 240, ECON 360 and FILM 340 (W 2015). After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.2.2. 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 Calendar goes on to stress that 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 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.
Having final exams scheduled closely together is certainly challenging but it is not the type of circumstance that would warrant granting Credit standing. It also appears in some of your ECON courses that your academic performance was fairly consistent throughout the term as well as consistent with many of the other ECON grades on your transcript. This leads me to believe that these grades are a fairly true representation of your usual academic performance.
While your appeal does cite some extenuating circumstances beyond your control and there is documentation from Health, Counselling and Disability Services included to support them, these circumstances appear to be ongoing in nature and they are not being resolved. The appeals system is not designed to compensate for circumstances that are ongoing in nature for which the student is unable or unwilling to effectively resolve or manage. This is now your third appeal based on the same extenuating circumstances and there is no evidence presented to explain what you are actively doing to manage your health challenges. In my last appeal decision letter to you of January 26, 2015, I expressed concern about this and encouraged you to monitor the winter term drop deadlines and drop courses accordingly if you found yourself struggling.
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,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10009237Lau3
Decision Date: May 26, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: James Lau
Student Email: 0jl59@queensu.ca
Course: ECON 240
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor: Art Stewart
Additional Information: N/A
Course: ECON 223
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor: Anya Hageman
Additional Information: N/A
Course: ECON 360
Term: Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Request a review of instructors' decisions on grading of final examination and/or term work
Instructor: Jan Zabojnik
Additional Information: N/A
Mr. James Lau
0jl59@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Lau:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit standing in ECON 223, ECON 240, ECON 360 and FILM 340 (W 2015). After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.2.2. 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 Calendar goes on to stress that 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 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.
Having final exams scheduled closely together is certainly challenging but it is not the type of circumstance that would warrant granting Credit standing. It also appears in some of your ECON courses that your academic performance was fairly consistent throughout the term as well as consistent with many of the other ECON grades on your transcript. This leads me to believe that these grades are a fairly true representation of your usual academic performance.
While your appeal does cite some extenuating circumstances beyond your control and there is documentation from Health, Counselling and Disability Services included to support them, these circumstances appear to be ongoing in nature and they are not being resolved. The appeals system is not designed to compensate for circumstances that are ongoing in nature for which the student is unable or unwilling to effectively resolve or manage. This is now your third appeal based on the same extenuating circumstances and there is no evidence presented to explain what you are actively doing to manage your health challenges. In my last appeal decision letter to you of January 26, 2015, I expressed concern about this and encouraged you to monitor the winter term drop deadlines and drop courses accordingly if you found yourself struggling.
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,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10009237Lau3
Generated May 26, 2015 at 8:46:50 AM.