Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Submission Number: 12266
Decision Date: January 13, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Rory Doornbos
Student Email: 22cvw2@queensu.ca

Course: FILM 112
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request an extension of an incomplete grade
Instructor: Emily Sanders
Additional Information: Four unmarked assignments

Course: SOCY122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Katie Coleman

Course: PSYC 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: PHAR 100
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Dear Rory Doornbos,

Thank you for your petition regarding Credit Standing in SOCY 122 (FW23/24), to drop PHAR 100 (W24) and PSYC 100 (FW23/24) after the academic deadline and for Aegrotat Standing in FILM 112 (W24). I have carefully reviewed your petition and the supporting documentation that you supplied, and while I’m unable to grant all of your requests, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.

I will grant your requests for Credit Standing in SOCY 122 (FW23/24) and to drop PHAR 100 (W24) and PSYC 100 (FW23/24) after the academic deadline as the documentation that you supplied attests to an unaccommodated disability during those terms. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a CR or DR notation on your transcript accordingly.

Unfortunately, I am unable to grant your request for Aegrotat Standing in FILM 112 (W24). According to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 3.3.1.3, Aegrotat Standing is intended for students who, due to illness or other significant extenuating circumstances, are unable to complete all the work for a course. To be eligible, at least 60% of the course’s components (assignments, midterms, labs, final exams, etc.) must be completed.

Rory, I regret to inform you that I could not assess your eligibility for Aegrotat Standing in FILM 112 (W24) as I was not able to obtain your individual grades from the instructor of the course and the Department of Film and Media has confirmed that they do not have access to this information. That said, I understand the challenges you have faced, and I do recognize the academic impact of the extenuating circumstances that you experienced during the 2024 Winter term, as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. As a result, I will allow you to drop FILM 112 (W24) after the academic deadline so that your grade can be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. If you would like to accept this offer, please email asc.petitions@queensu.ca within 15 business days of receiving this letter.

Going forward, 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, 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.

Additionally, if you wish to appeal this decision, you are welcome to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies. Information on the appeal process and deadlines is available at queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals (click on “Second Level”). The Office of the University Ombudsperson offers guidance on student rights and procedural fairness at queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness, and they are also available to support you at queensu.ca/ombuds.

I hope that you continue to seek out the support and resources available to you, and I wish you the best in navigating your next steps.

Warm regards,

Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)