Decision Letter
Submission Number: 14035
Decision Date: March 23, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Razi Almasri
Student Email: r.almasri@queensu.ca
Course: MATH 130
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Peter Taylor
Course: PHYS 115
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Razi Almasri,
I have carefully considered your request to drop PHYS 115 (F25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in MATH 130 (F25). While I’m unable to grant both of these requests, I want to assure you that your circumstances were considered thoughtfully and with care as part of the decision-making process.
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 PHYS 115 (F25) after the academic deadline. Your grade in this course will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript once it has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
Regarding your request for Credit Standing in MATH 130 (F25). I have reviewed your petition letter, supporting documentation, and information provided by the course instructor.
While the documentation confirms that you were supported by Student Affairs during the Fall term, the timing of the circumstances described in your petition letter does not correlate with the timeline of your lower grades in MATH 130. Your petition letter indicates that displacement-related extenuating circumstances affected you at the beginning of the term however, the course instructor confirmed that your academic performance was stronger earlier in the term, and that your low final grade in the course was a result of low test marks received after reading week.
Additionally, while the documentation dated February 17, 2026 supports the circumstances that you described in your petition letter, it does not indicate that these circumstances resulted in academic impacts during the 2025 Fall term, specifically during the period where your grades declined.
In the absence of documentation demonstrating that extenuating circumstances affected your academic performance during the timeline of your lower grades in MATH 130, I cannot grant your request.
If you are concerned with the impact that your final grade has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating the course 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.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: March 23, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Razi Almasri
Student Email: r.almasri@queensu.ca
Course: MATH 130
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Peter Taylor
Course: PHYS 115
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Razi Almasri,
I have carefully considered your request to drop PHYS 115 (F25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in MATH 130 (F25). While I’m unable to grant both of these requests, I want to assure you that your circumstances were considered thoughtfully and with care as part of the decision-making process.
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 PHYS 115 (F25) after the academic deadline. Your grade in this course will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript once it has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
Regarding your request for Credit Standing in MATH 130 (F25). I have reviewed your petition letter, supporting documentation, and information provided by the course instructor.
While the documentation confirms that you were supported by Student Affairs during the Fall term, the timing of the circumstances described in your petition letter does not correlate with the timeline of your lower grades in MATH 130. Your petition letter indicates that displacement-related extenuating circumstances affected you at the beginning of the term however, the course instructor confirmed that your academic performance was stronger earlier in the term, and that your low final grade in the course was a result of low test marks received after reading week.
Additionally, while the documentation dated February 17, 2026 supports the circumstances that you described in your petition letter, it does not indicate that these circumstances resulted in academic impacts during the 2025 Fall term, specifically during the period where your grades declined.
In the absence of documentation demonstrating that extenuating circumstances affected your academic performance during the timeline of your lower grades in MATH 130, I cannot grant your request.
If you are concerned with the impact that your final grade has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating the course 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.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated March 23, 2026 at 12:00:21 PM.