Decision Letter
Submission Number: 14127
Decision Date: May 19, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Rachel Wu
Student Email: rachelywu25@gmail.com
Course: POLS 112
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: STAM 200
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 151
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Rachel,
I have carefully considered your petition to drop POLS 112 (W25) and STAM 200 (S25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PHIL 151 (F25). While I am unable to grant all of these requests, I want to assure you that I have taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
After reviewing your petition letter and the documentation provided, I am able to grant your request to drop POLS 112 (W25) after the academic deadline and your request for Credit Standing in PHIL 151 (F25). Your final grade in POLS 112 will be replaced with a DR notation, and your final grade in PHIL 151 will be replaced with a CR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
With respect to your request to drop STAM 200 (S25) after the academic deadline, Academic Petition and Appeals Regulation 1.7.1.2, states that requests must clearly demonstrate the significant extenuating circumstance, beyond the student’s control, which prevented them from dropping the class by the deadline, as indicated in the Faculty’s Sessional Dates. A medical certificate or other documentation that outlines how the personal extenuating circumstances hindered the student’s ability to drop the class prior to the deadline should be provided with the petition.
I acknowledge the multiple circumstances that you experienced during the 2025 Summer term as outlined in your petition letter. I also note that you missed the final exam due to travel. While I recognize that this travel was planned in advance and am sympathetic to your situation, travel plans are not considered unexpected extenuating circumstances and are not typically considered grounds for approving a late drop request.
It is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their coursework prior to the drop deadline of the term. If a student falls behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by deadline. The drop deadlines, outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science website, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
While I appreciate the documentation you provided confirming your flight dates, in the absence of documentation from a professional indicating that an unexpected extenuating
circumstance prevented you from dropping STAM 200 by the published deadline, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned with the impact that your final grade in a course has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. When repeating the 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. Appeals to the Board of Studies must be submitted within 10 business days of the date of 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,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: May 19, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Rachel Wu
Student Email: rachelywu25@gmail.com
Course: POLS 112
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: STAM 200
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 151
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Rachel,
I have carefully considered your petition to drop POLS 112 (W25) and STAM 200 (S25) after the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PHIL 151 (F25). While I am unable to grant all of these requests, I want to assure you that I have taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
After reviewing your petition letter and the documentation provided, I am able to grant your request to drop POLS 112 (W25) after the academic deadline and your request for Credit Standing in PHIL 151 (F25). Your final grade in POLS 112 will be replaced with a DR notation, and your final grade in PHIL 151 will be replaced with a CR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
With respect to your request to drop STAM 200 (S25) after the academic deadline, Academic Petition and Appeals Regulation 1.7.1.2, states that requests must clearly demonstrate the significant extenuating circumstance, beyond the student’s control, which prevented them from dropping the class by the deadline, as indicated in the Faculty’s Sessional Dates. A medical certificate or other documentation that outlines how the personal extenuating circumstances hindered the student’s ability to drop the class prior to the deadline should be provided with the petition.
I acknowledge the multiple circumstances that you experienced during the 2025 Summer term as outlined in your petition letter. I also note that you missed the final exam due to travel. While I recognize that this travel was planned in advance and am sympathetic to your situation, travel plans are not considered unexpected extenuating circumstances and are not typically considered grounds for approving a late drop request.
It is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their coursework prior to the drop deadline of the term. If a student falls behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by deadline. The drop deadlines, outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science website, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
While I appreciate the documentation you provided confirming your flight dates, in the absence of documentation from a professional indicating that an unexpected extenuating
circumstance prevented you from dropping STAM 200 by the published deadline, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned with the impact that your final grade in a course has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. When repeating the 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. Appeals to the Board of Studies must be submitted within 10 business days of the date of 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,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated May 19, 2026 at 2:49:29 PM.