Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Submission Number: 12968
Decision Date: May 27, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Quinn Stafford
Student Email: 22qtas@queensu.ca

Course: Econ 255
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request an extension of an exam deferral
Instructor: ruqu wang
Additional Information: final Exam

Course: comm 211
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request an extension of an exam deferral
Instructor: jing wang
Additional Information: final exam

Dear Quinn Stafford,

Thank you for your petition regarding a deferral of the final exam in ECON 255 (W24) and COMM 211 (W24). I have carefully reviewed your request and the information that I received from the instructors of these courses, 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.

The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulation 3.3.1.5. states that a student affected by extenuating circumstances may ask the course instructor for incomplete standing (IN) for up to one full term after the completion of a class. If this request is granted, any further request to submit incomplete work or to write a final examination after that term has elapsed must be made through a petition to the Associate Dean (Academic). The instructor will be consulted for their agreement to a further extension and stating a revised final date for completion of the course work in question or the final examination must also be included. Normally such requests are considered if the student has participated actively in the class and only one or two elements of the course work have not been completed due to extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control.

I acknowledge that you weren’t able to complete the exams in ECON 255 and COMM 211 due to an extenuating circumstance as reported within your petition letter. After consulting with the instructor of ECON 255 (F24) I understand that you have already completed a deferred exam in the course and that they will support you with a late grade change at this time. It is your responsibility to connect with instructor Wang as soon as possible, to make the arrangements.

Regarding your request for a deferred exam in COMM 211 (F24), I regret to inform you that I did not receive instructor support for this request. As the instructor would be the one responsible for facilitating and grading a deferred exam, their support is required for this type of petition to be considered. That said, I have denied this request as your petition did not include documentation to suggest that an extenuating circumstance prevented you from writing the final exam in this course as scheduled during the 2024 Fall term.

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.

Additionally, 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.

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.

Sincerely,

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