Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11265
Decision Date: December 20, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Brendan Rourke
Student Email: 20bpr1@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 243
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 339
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 359
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 384
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: HTLH 235
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Brendan:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop POLS 243, POLS 339, POLS 359, POLS 384, and HLTH 235 (F23) 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 sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision, however, I want you to know that I considered this request very thoroughly. In making this decision, I reviewed your petition letter, the documentation that you supplied dated November 30, 2023, the additional information that you emailed asc.petitions@queensu.ca on December 12, 2023, your transcript, and your prior petition requests.
I recognize that you have been experiencing health-related challenges for the past two years and I acknowledge how this has impacted your 2023 Fall term classes. I want to remind you of your prior petition requests where I allowed you to drop courses after the academic deadline for these same circumstances in the 2022 Fall and 2023 Winter terms. In both of those petition decision letters, I cautioned you about the importance of assessing the academic impacts of your circumstances prior to the drop deadline of each term.
I have denied this request as the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. The documentation that you supplied confirms that you have been supported professionally for these extenuating circumstances since December of 2022. And, you have been warned in prior petitions that it is your responsibility to manage the impacts that your condition has on your academics proactively, during the term, by reducing your course load as needed.
Brendan, I am concerned to see that you are currently enrolled in a full courseload for the 2024 Winter term. It appears from your documentation that your health-care provider has suggested a reduced course instead. Also, I would suggest that you consider registering
with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you obtain ongoing support from a Counsellor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
If you are concerned with the impact that these courses have on your 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 grade 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 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: December 20, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Brendan Rourke
Student Email: 20bpr1@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 243
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 339
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 359
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 384
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: HTLH 235
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Brendan:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop POLS 243, POLS 339, POLS 359, POLS 384, and HLTH 235 (F23) 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 sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision, however, I want you to know that I considered this request very thoroughly. In making this decision, I reviewed your petition letter, the documentation that you supplied dated November 30, 2023, the additional information that you emailed asc.petitions@queensu.ca on December 12, 2023, your transcript, and your prior petition requests.
I recognize that you have been experiencing health-related challenges for the past two years and I acknowledge how this has impacted your 2023 Fall term classes. I want to remind you of your prior petition requests where I allowed you to drop courses after the academic deadline for these same circumstances in the 2022 Fall and 2023 Winter terms. In both of those petition decision letters, I cautioned you about the importance of assessing the academic impacts of your circumstances prior to the drop deadline of each term.
I have denied this request as the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. The documentation that you supplied confirms that you have been supported professionally for these extenuating circumstances since December of 2022. And, you have been warned in prior petitions that it is your responsibility to manage the impacts that your condition has on your academics proactively, during the term, by reducing your course load as needed.
Brendan, I am concerned to see that you are currently enrolled in a full courseload for the 2024 Winter term. It appears from your documentation that your health-care provider has suggested a reduced course instead. Also, I would suggest that you consider registering
with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you obtain ongoing support from a Counsellor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
If you are concerned with the impact that these courses have on your 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 grade 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 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 December 20, 2023 at 12:24:07 PM.