Decision Letter
Submission Number: 10757
Decision Date: August 22, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Shada Barkho
Student Email: 20sbb4@queensu.ca
Course: ARAB 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC 251
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Monica Castelhano
Course: PSYC 241
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Hausser
Course: PHIL 256
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Shada:
I have carefully considered your petition to drop PSYC 251 (F22) and ARAB 100 (FW22/23) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PHIL 256, PSYC 221 and PSYC 241 (W23). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To grant your request to drop PSYC 251 (F22) as the documentation that you supplied confirms the academic impacts of your extenuating circumstances during the 2022 Fall term. Your grade in this course will be replaced with a “DR” notation on your transcript.
To deny your request to drop ARAB 100 (FW22/23) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PHIL 256, PSYC 221 and PSYC 241 (W23). As you know, courses must be dropped on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.1 at https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petitions and appeals are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. 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.
I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision however, your petition indicates that you were connected with professional supports for the management of your extenuating circumstances in February of 2023, before the Winter term drop deadline. It is unclear why you didn’t drop these courses by the March drop deadline. I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes during week 7 of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by week 8 of term. The drop deadlines, outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science web page, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
If you are concerned with the impact that these courses have on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however only the higher attempt will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
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 as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: August 22, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Shada Barkho
Student Email: 20sbb4@queensu.ca
Course: ARAB 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC 251
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Monica Castelhano
Course: PSYC 241
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Hausser
Course: PHIL 256
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Shada:
I have carefully considered your petition to drop PSYC 251 (F22) and ARAB 100 (FW22/23) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PHIL 256, PSYC 221 and PSYC 241 (W23). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To grant your request to drop PSYC 251 (F22) as the documentation that you supplied confirms the academic impacts of your extenuating circumstances during the 2022 Fall term. Your grade in this course will be replaced with a “DR” notation on your transcript.
To deny your request to drop ARAB 100 (FW22/23) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PHIL 256, PSYC 221 and PSYC 241 (W23). As you know, courses must be dropped on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.1 at https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petitions and appeals are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. 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.
I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision however, your petition indicates that you were connected with professional supports for the management of your extenuating circumstances in February of 2023, before the Winter term drop deadline. It is unclear why you didn’t drop these courses by the March drop deadline. I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes during week 7 of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by week 8 of term. The drop deadlines, outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science web page, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
If you are concerned with the impact that these courses have on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however only the higher attempt will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
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 as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated August 22, 2023 at 10:21:34 AM.