Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11361
Decision Date: February 20, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Yuang Tian
Student Email: 894071948@qq.com
Course: MUSC 171
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Yuang Tian:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop MUSC 171 (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 and your academic transcript.
I acknowledge the ongoing nature of the extenuating circumstances that you reported in your petition letter and I was glad to read that you have the support of your friends and family as you continue with treatment. 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 indicates that you received a diagnosis and treatment plan on June 25, 2023, prior to the Fall term beginning. This documentation doesn’t suggest any academic impacts going forward. As the academic drop deadline for this course was November 3, 2023, and according to your petition letter and documentation, this circumstance was not unknown to you or unexpected at that time, I cannot grant your request.
Going forward, academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). 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, as they have been outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Arts and Science web page, have been established by the Faculty of Arts and Science to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it 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 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: February 20, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Yuang Tian
Student Email: 894071948@qq.com
Course: MUSC 171
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Yuang Tian:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop MUSC 171 (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 and your academic transcript.
I acknowledge the ongoing nature of the extenuating circumstances that you reported in your petition letter and I was glad to read that you have the support of your friends and family as you continue with treatment. 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 indicates that you received a diagnosis and treatment plan on June 25, 2023, prior to the Fall term beginning. This documentation doesn’t suggest any academic impacts going forward. As the academic drop deadline for this course was November 3, 2023, and according to your petition letter and documentation, this circumstance was not unknown to you or unexpected at that time, I cannot grant your request.
Going forward, academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). 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, as they have been outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Arts and Science web page, have been established by the Faculty of Arts and Science to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it 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 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 February 20, 2024 at 9:45:45 AM.