Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Submission Number: 10540
Decision Date: June 5, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Aanandini Bambawale
Student Email: aanandini.bambawale@queensu.ca

Course: DEVS 220
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: DEVS 260
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: LAW 204
Term: Summer
Year: 2020
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Adebiyi,Tomilola

Course: DEVS 393
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Resurrecion, Bernadette

Course: DEVS 358
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Cordoba,Diana

Course: DEVS 361
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: DEVS 210
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Resurreccion,Bernadette

Course: DEVS 340
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Kumar,Paritosh

Course: DEVS 354
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: McDonald,David A

Course: DEVS 260
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Tomas, Ayca

Course: DEVS 293
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Atuoye, Kilian Nasung

Course: DEVS 300
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Hostetler, Mark

Dear Aanandini:

I have carefully considered your petition to drop DEVS 220 (F19), DEVS 260 (F19), POLS 212 (W20), DEVS 300 (W21), POLS 211 (S21), and DEVS 361 (F21) after the academic deadline and for an extension of an incomplete grade in LAW 204 (S20), EMPR 220 (F20), POLS 261 (F20), EMPR 270 (W21), SPAN 111 (W21), DEVS 358 (F21), DEVS 210 (W22), DEVS 340 (W22), DEVS 354 (W22), DEVS 293 (F22), DEVS 300 (F22), DEVS 393 (F22) and DEVS 260 (F22). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:

1) To grant your request for an extension of an incomplete grade in DEVS 293 (F22), DEVS 300 (F22), DEVS 393 (F22) and DEVS 260 (F22). You will have until August 14, 2023 to complete the outstanding work in DEVS 300 (F22) and until August 31, 2023 to complete the outstanding work in DEVS 293 (F22), DEVS 393 (F22) and DEVS 260 (F22). It is your responsibility to connect with each of these instructors to make the appropriate arrangements.

2) To deny your request to drop DEVS 220 (F19), DEVS 260 (F19), POLS 212 (W20), DEVS 300 (W21), POLS 211 (S21), and DEVS 361 (F21) after the academic deadline. 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 under extenuating 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 circumstances beyond their control.

3) To deny your request for an extension of an incomplete grade in LAW 204 (S20), POLS 261 (F20), SPAN 111 (W21), DEVS 358 (F21), DEVS 210 (W22), DEVS 340 (W22), and DEVS 354 (W22). I want to remind you that these courses ended over a year ago, over two years ago in some cases. According to the information that I??ve received from some of these instructors, there is too much work outstanding for you to be eligible for an extension at this late time.

I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision. Looking at your transcript I see that you were able to complete some courses successfully to high standards during some of the terms that you are petitioning from. It is not clear from the documentation that you supplied why some of these classes seem to be impacted by your extenuating circumstances and not all.

Also, the documentation that you supplied indicates that you have been engaged in treatment for your extenuating circumstances since the 2019 Summer term. I want to remind you of your previous academic petition request from December of 2019 which was related to these same extenuating circumstances. The petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. A student with knowledge of academic impacts

from a known condition should be utilizing academic options at the time of impact, such as dropping courses before the academic deadline or making arrangements with their instructors for an incomplete grade prior to the end of the term.

I want to remind you that repeating courses is a recommended strategy if you are concerned about a lower grade impacting your grade point average. When repeating the exact same course, both grades remain on your transcript but only the higher one is included within your cumulative GPA.

4) To grant your request for an extension of an incomplete grade in EMPR 220 (20) and EMPR 270 (W21). I want you to know that this was a lenient decision as per the reasons listed above however, I have been made aware that the instructor of these courses was given some misguided information related to your request prior to the submission of this academic petition. I will therefore support their gracious offer to allow you to hand in the outstanding work from both classes during the 2023 Summer term. Please connect with Professor Lilius to make these arrangements.

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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities https://www.queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness and guidance on policy and procedure by visiting their website at https://www.queensu.ca/ombuds/.

Sincerely,

Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)