Decision Letter
Submission Number: 10766
Decision Date: August 22, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Kimberly Anne Castro
Student Email: thekimcas@gmail.com
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Summer
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Kim:
I have carefully considered your appeal request to drop PSYC 100 (S23) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
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.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision as I acknowledge that you have been impacted by bereavement-related extenuating circumstances since May of 2022. I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes before the drop deadline of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by the deadline. 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.
I also want you to know that competing commitments, such as work-related responsibilities, are not typically grounds for a petition. An extenuating circumstance is defined as a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to his or her academic performance. In general, a petition would be successful when there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of an academic regulation. As your petition did not contain documentation that suggests an extenuating circumstance prevented you from being able to drop this course before the academic deadline of the 2023 Summer term, I cannot grant your request.
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)
Decision Date: August 22, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Kimberly Anne Castro
Student Email: thekimcas@gmail.com
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Summer
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Kim:
I have carefully considered your appeal request to drop PSYC 100 (S23) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
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.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision as I acknowledge that you have been impacted by bereavement-related extenuating circumstances since May of 2022. I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes before the drop deadline of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by the deadline. 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.
I also want you to know that competing commitments, such as work-related responsibilities, are not typically grounds for a petition. An extenuating circumstance is defined as a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to his or her academic performance. In general, a petition would be successful when there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of an academic regulation. As your petition did not contain documentation that suggests an extenuating circumstance prevented you from being able to drop this course before the academic deadline of the 2023 Summer term, I cannot grant your request.
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)
Generated August 22, 2023 at 10:24:09 AM.