Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13349
Decision Date: September 30, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Jalen Sikkema
Student Email: 24kqd@queensu.ca
Course: WRIT125
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Golshan Golriz
Dear Jalen,
I have carefully considered your request to drop WRIT 125 (W25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in SOCY 122 (FW24/25). While I’m unable to grant both of these requests, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
According to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.1 petitions 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. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional.
I have granted your request to drop WRIT 125 (W25) after the academic deadline in recognition of how the PSAC Local 901 strike and labor disruption affected this course during the 2025 Winter term. Your final grade will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. Going forward, I encourage you to take advantage of the various academic supports that are available at Queen’s University, such as meeting with an Academic Advisor to discuss degree progress and your academic goals as well as the resources offered by the Student Academic Success Services (SASS). While I hope that you never again encounter circumstances like the PSAC Local 901 strike during your studies, even in normal times it’s good practice to familiarize yourself with the services offered by the University to help students succeed.
While I acknowledge that the strike also affected the Winter portion of SOCY 122, the information I received from the instructor of the course confirms that you were not successful in passing several graded components during the 2024 Fall term, prior to the strike. With the absence of documentation to confirm that an unexpected extenuating circumstance directly impacted your academic performance in SOCY 122 during the Fall term, I am unable to grant this request.
Going forward, 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.
If you are concerned with the impact that SOCY 122 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)
Decision Date: September 30, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Jalen Sikkema
Student Email: 24kqd@queensu.ca
Course: WRIT125
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Golshan Golriz
Dear Jalen,
I have carefully considered your request to drop WRIT 125 (W25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in SOCY 122 (FW24/25). While I’m unable to grant both of these requests, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
According to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.1 petitions 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. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional.
I have granted your request to drop WRIT 125 (W25) after the academic deadline in recognition of how the PSAC Local 901 strike and labor disruption affected this course during the 2025 Winter term. Your final grade will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. Going forward, I encourage you to take advantage of the various academic supports that are available at Queen’s University, such as meeting with an Academic Advisor to discuss degree progress and your academic goals as well as the resources offered by the Student Academic Success Services (SASS). While I hope that you never again encounter circumstances like the PSAC Local 901 strike during your studies, even in normal times it’s good practice to familiarize yourself with the services offered by the University to help students succeed.
While I acknowledge that the strike also affected the Winter portion of SOCY 122, the information I received from the instructor of the course confirms that you were not successful in passing several graded components during the 2024 Fall term, prior to the strike. With the absence of documentation to confirm that an unexpected extenuating circumstance directly impacted your academic performance in SOCY 122 during the Fall term, I am unable to grant this request.
Going forward, 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.
If you are concerned with the impact that SOCY 122 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)
Generated September 30, 2025 at 9:59:37 AM.