Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Submission Number: 13195
Decision Date: August 25, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Alison Staples
Student Email: 21aps9@queensu.ca

Course: BCHM 316
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: BCHM 315
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Dr. Robert Campbell

Dear Alison Staples,

Thank you for your petition requesting to drop BCHM 316 (W25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in BCHM 315 (F24). After a thorough review, I regret to inform you that I’m unable to grant all of these requests however, I want to emphasize that this decision is based on the guidelines outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Petition and Appeal Regulations.

I will grant your request to drop BCHM 316 (W25) after the academic deadline due to the timeline of extenuating circumstances as confirmed within the documentation you supplied. Your grade will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript.

Going forward, I suggest that you consider connecting with Student Wellness Services in Mitchell Hall for ongoing support. Also, you should know that it is your responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on your coursework prior to the drop deadline of the term. If you fall behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course by deadline. The drop deadlines, outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science web page, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.

Note that any change in academic registration may impact government or private-firm student financial assistance eligibility and/or funding. Please consult with the Student Awards Office, Office of the University Registrar, Gordon Hall, to understand the potential implications of changes to course or program registration and/or the consequences of not successfully completing the required course load.

Regarding your request for Credit Standing in BCHM 315 (F24), according to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.7.1.4, Credit Standing is reserved for a course in which a student has completed all of the work of the class, including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade.

While I acknowledge the circumstances that you described in your petition letter, as confirmed within the documentation you supplied, your onQ records for BCHM 316 show that you are not eligible Credit Standing in this course based on the regulation as you did not complete all of the graded components in it.

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, 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.

Sincerely,

Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)