Decision Letter
Submission Number: 10457
Decision Date: August 16, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson
Student Name: Alyah Opel
Student Email: 18ato@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 316
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ron Easteal
Course: KNPE 331
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Ross
Course: KNPE 491
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Alyah,
On Monday, 14 August, the Board of Studies reviewed your appeal of Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson’s decision to deny your petition to drop KNPE 491 (Fall 2022) after the deadline and for CR standing in ANAT 316 and KNPE 331 (both Winter 2022). Board members present that day were Scott-Morgan Straker (Chair), Stephanie Dickey (Faculty member), Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant (Faculty member) and Therese de Rivera (Student representative). Pamela Briand (Arts and Science resource staff) was also present. You attended a portion of the meeting, along with Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson; Dr Rachel Greenbaum was present in a non-speaking capacity to provide support. After you and Dr Stephenson left the meeting, the Board carefully considered the information from the oral statements along with the written submissions contained in your file. The Board voted to uphold the Associate Dean’s decision in the case of all three courses listed in your appeal.
Let me begin by saying that your account of the struggles you’ve faced during the last two years made a deep impression on the Board, and we would like to convey to you again how sorry we are that you have undergone this sequence of calamities during your studies. That said, the Board must work within strict parameters in considering cases like yours. First, as Associate Dean Stephenson pointed out during her oral statement, the Board’s role is limited to determining whether the Associate Dean’s decision was reasonable given the available documentation. Second, the appeals process is intended to address sudden, unforeseen extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from completing a course or from dropping it by the deadline (or, in the case of credit standing (CR), cause a student to underperform). It is not intended as a remedy for ongoing circumstances, for which the University provides more appropriate mechanisms (including Academic Accommodations and Consideration).
In reaching its decision, the Board notes that while the letters from your family physician and psychologist confirm that your academic performance was affected by stress, bereavement, and health issues from October 2021 to the present, they indicate that these struggles were ongoing, and they do not provide evidence that you were unable to drop the courses in question by the published deadline. Furthermore, the fact that in Winter 2022 and in Fall 2022 you were able to perform successfully in most of your courses—applying for Consideration, seeking extensions, prioritizing some courses over others—indicates that you were aware of your circumstances and were able to make decisions about the best action to take. Students are expected to monitor their progress in their courses, and where appropriate, to drop them by the published deadline. In the absence of documentary evidence indicating that you could not drop the course by that deadline, the Board saw no option but to uphold the Associate Dean’s decision about KNPE 491.
In the case of the petition for CR standing in two courses from Winter 2022, the Board concluded that the documents provided in your appeal do not establish that extenuating circumstances caused you to receive a lower grade than might be expected in these two courses, but not in the others in which you were enrolled. CR standing, again, is intended as a remedy to a crisis; it is not a mechanism for dealing with ongoing circumstances. Therefore, in this matter, the Board voted to uphold the Associate Dean’s decision.
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 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 decision comes as a disappointment, particularly in view of your moving oral statement this morning. The Board extends its best wishes to you and your family and wishes you every success in your future endeavours.
Sincerely,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Chair, Board of Studies
Decision Date: August 16, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson
Student Name: Alyah Opel
Student Email: 18ato@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 316
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ron Easteal
Course: KNPE 331
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Ross
Course: KNPE 491
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Alyah,
On Monday, 14 August, the Board of Studies reviewed your appeal of Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson’s decision to deny your petition to drop KNPE 491 (Fall 2022) after the deadline and for CR standing in ANAT 316 and KNPE 331 (both Winter 2022). Board members present that day were Scott-Morgan Straker (Chair), Stephanie Dickey (Faculty member), Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant (Faculty member) and Therese de Rivera (Student representative). Pamela Briand (Arts and Science resource staff) was also present. You attended a portion of the meeting, along with Associate Dean (Academic) Jenn Stephenson; Dr Rachel Greenbaum was present in a non-speaking capacity to provide support. After you and Dr Stephenson left the meeting, the Board carefully considered the information from the oral statements along with the written submissions contained in your file. The Board voted to uphold the Associate Dean’s decision in the case of all three courses listed in your appeal.
Let me begin by saying that your account of the struggles you’ve faced during the last two years made a deep impression on the Board, and we would like to convey to you again how sorry we are that you have undergone this sequence of calamities during your studies. That said, the Board must work within strict parameters in considering cases like yours. First, as Associate Dean Stephenson pointed out during her oral statement, the Board’s role is limited to determining whether the Associate Dean’s decision was reasonable given the available documentation. Second, the appeals process is intended to address sudden, unforeseen extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from completing a course or from dropping it by the deadline (or, in the case of credit standing (CR), cause a student to underperform). It is not intended as a remedy for ongoing circumstances, for which the University provides more appropriate mechanisms (including Academic Accommodations and Consideration).
In reaching its decision, the Board notes that while the letters from your family physician and psychologist confirm that your academic performance was affected by stress, bereavement, and health issues from October 2021 to the present, they indicate that these struggles were ongoing, and they do not provide evidence that you were unable to drop the courses in question by the published deadline. Furthermore, the fact that in Winter 2022 and in Fall 2022 you were able to perform successfully in most of your courses—applying for Consideration, seeking extensions, prioritizing some courses over others—indicates that you were aware of your circumstances and were able to make decisions about the best action to take. Students are expected to monitor their progress in their courses, and where appropriate, to drop them by the published deadline. In the absence of documentary evidence indicating that you could not drop the course by that deadline, the Board saw no option but to uphold the Associate Dean’s decision about KNPE 491.
In the case of the petition for CR standing in two courses from Winter 2022, the Board concluded that the documents provided in your appeal do not establish that extenuating circumstances caused you to receive a lower grade than might be expected in these two courses, but not in the others in which you were enrolled. CR standing, again, is intended as a remedy to a crisis; it is not a mechanism for dealing with ongoing circumstances. Therefore, in this matter, the Board voted to uphold the Associate Dean’s decision.
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 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 decision comes as a disappointment, particularly in view of your moving oral statement this morning. The Board extends its best wishes to you and your family and wishes you every success in your future endeavours.
Sincerely,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Chair, Board of Studies
Generated August 16, 2023 at 11:53:11 AM.