Decision Letter
Submission Number: 12845
Decision Date: April 7, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Taylor Turpin
Student Email: 21trt2@queensu.ca
Dear Taylor:
Thank you for your petition request to Waive a Petition Deadline related to the 2022/2023 academic year, the 2023 Summer term and the 2023 Fall term. I have carefully reviewed your petition and while I’m unable to grant your request, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulation 1.1 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress petitions and appeals are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision.
I was sorry to read about the health-related extenuating circumstances that you experienced during your first two years of study as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. I was glad to see that you are in remission and eligible for accommodations if needed.
I understand from your petition letter that you were hoping for Credit Standing in courses from these terms. Please know that students can petition courses within 1-year of a term ending and these academic options are outlined within the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar. Looking at your transcript, I can see that you have been able to engage and successfully complete courses during each term at Queen’s with consistent performance. As your petition did not demonstrate academic impacts of extenuating circumstances in the courses that you took within the 2022/2023 and 2023 Summer and Fall terms, I cannot grant your request. 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.
Going forward, it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes prior to 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 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.
If you are concerned about 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 this decision, 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.
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen’s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
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)
Decision Date: April 7, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Taylor Turpin
Student Email: 21trt2@queensu.ca
Dear Taylor:
Thank you for your petition request to Waive a Petition Deadline related to the 2022/2023 academic year, the 2023 Summer term and the 2023 Fall term. I have carefully reviewed your petition and while I’m unable to grant your request, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulation 1.1 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress petitions and appeals are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision.
I was sorry to read about the health-related extenuating circumstances that you experienced during your first two years of study as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. I was glad to see that you are in remission and eligible for accommodations if needed.
I understand from your petition letter that you were hoping for Credit Standing in courses from these terms. Please know that students can petition courses within 1-year of a term ending and these academic options are outlined within the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar. Looking at your transcript, I can see that you have been able to engage and successfully complete courses during each term at Queen’s with consistent performance. As your petition did not demonstrate academic impacts of extenuating circumstances in the courses that you took within the 2022/2023 and 2023 Summer and Fall terms, I cannot grant your request. 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.
Going forward, it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes prior to 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 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.
If you are concerned about 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 this decision, 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.
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen’s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
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)
Generated April 7, 2025 at 11:28:11 AM.