Decision Letter
Submission Number: 10942
Decision Date: November 2, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Xinying Huang
Student Email: 20xh36@queensu.ca
Dear Xinying Huang:
I have carefully considered your petition to take more than 6.0 units of courses on an International Letter of Permission during the 2023/2024 academic year. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 3.3.1.7 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petition requests to complete any part of the third or fourth year at another University must directly address how this is necessary due to extenuating circumstances or an exceptional academic opportunity. 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, I have denied your request as your petition did not demonstrate that taking these 9.0 units of courses at another institution during the 2023 Fall term is necessary as I see that you could have taken these courses along with the 9.0 units that you are currently enrolled in at Queen’s. I acknowledge that Soochow University offers different exam dates than your Queen’s courses, however I want to remind you that this isn’t considered to be grounds for this type of petition request. As you know, Regulation 14.4 indicates that “the last two years of the Honours degree are taken in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s.” I would therefore suggest that you consider taking these 9.0 units of courses at Queen’s in a future term perhaps through Arts and Science Online during the 2024 Winter or 2024 Summer term.
As upper year students are eligible to transfer up to 6.0 units of courses from another institution per academic year, you may alternately want to consider taking 6.0 units of these courses during the 2023 Fall term as I see that you have already initiated the Letter of Permission process. Please connect with the International Programs Office for information about that process.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean’s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness and guidance on policy and procedure by visiting their website at queensu.ca/ombuds/.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: November 2, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Xinying Huang
Student Email: 20xh36@queensu.ca
Dear Xinying Huang:
I have carefully considered your petition to take more than 6.0 units of courses on an International Letter of Permission during the 2023/2024 academic year. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 3.3.1.7 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petition requests to complete any part of the third or fourth year at another University must directly address how this is necessary due to extenuating circumstances or an exceptional academic opportunity. 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, I have denied your request as your petition did not demonstrate that taking these 9.0 units of courses at another institution during the 2023 Fall term is necessary as I see that you could have taken these courses along with the 9.0 units that you are currently enrolled in at Queen’s. I acknowledge that Soochow University offers different exam dates than your Queen’s courses, however I want to remind you that this isn’t considered to be grounds for this type of petition request. As you know, Regulation 14.4 indicates that “the last two years of the Honours degree are taken in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s.” I would therefore suggest that you consider taking these 9.0 units of courses at Queen’s in a future term perhaps through Arts and Science Online during the 2024 Winter or 2024 Summer term.
As upper year students are eligible to transfer up to 6.0 units of courses from another institution per academic year, you may alternately want to consider taking 6.0 units of these courses during the 2023 Fall term as I see that you have already initiated the Letter of Permission process. Please connect with the International Programs Office for information about that process.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean’s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness and guidance on policy and procedure by visiting their website at queensu.ca/ombuds/.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated November 2, 2023 at 10:58:10 AM.