Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Submission Number: 11884
Decision Date: July 8, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Gabriella Martinez
Student Email: 21gm14@queensu.ca

Course: MUTH 240
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PSYC 203
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PSYC 236
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PSYC 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Dear Cherri:

I have carefully considered your petition request to drop MUTH 240 (F 2023) and PSYC 203, PSYC 236, PSYC 221 (W 2024) 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 Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1 at 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, I want you to know that I considered this request very thoroughly. In making this decision, I reviewed your petition letter, your academic transcript and the documentation that you supplied.

I recognize that you have experienced a difficult year at university, and I was glad to read that you have an academic plan going forward. I have denied this request as the documentation that you supplied suggests that the onset of the extenuating circumstances was January 6, 2016. As your petition did not include documentation to suggest unexpected impacts on your academic performance in the courses that you are petitioning from the 2023/2024 academic year, I cannot grant this request.

I want to let you know that the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through 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 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)