Decision Letter
Submission Number: 14327
Decision Date: June 23, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Leah Yamniuk
Student Email: 23jq44@queensu.ca
Dear Leah Yamniuk,
I have carefully considered your request for an Exam Deferral in PSYC 203 (W26). While I’m unable to grant your petition, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
The Academic Petition and Appeals Regulation 1.1 states that 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 understand that you were unable to write the originally scheduled final exam in April due to an unexpected extenuating circumstance, as confirmed by the documentation you provided indicating that you were away from school from April 16 to 18, inclusive, and that you were granted a deferral to write the exam in May. While I appreciate that you were located in a different province in May, it is important to ensure fairness and consistency within the petition process. Based on the information provided, your request does not demonstrate unexpected extenuating circumstances that would warrant further consideration under the regulations, nor does it include documentation confirming that such circumstances affected your ability to write the deferred exam in May. As such, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that this course has on your cumulative 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. 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: June 23, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Leah Yamniuk
Student Email: 23jq44@queensu.ca
Dear Leah Yamniuk,
I have carefully considered your request for an Exam Deferral in PSYC 203 (W26). While I’m unable to grant your petition, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
The Academic Petition and Appeals Regulation 1.1 states that 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 understand that you were unable to write the originally scheduled final exam in April due to an unexpected extenuating circumstance, as confirmed by the documentation you provided indicating that you were away from school from April 16 to 18, inclusive, and that you were granted a deferral to write the exam in May. While I appreciate that you were located in a different province in May, it is important to ensure fairness and consistency within the petition process. Based on the information provided, your request does not demonstrate unexpected extenuating circumstances that would warrant further consideration under the regulations, nor does it include documentation confirming that such circumstances affected your ability to write the deferred exam in May. As such, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that this course has on your cumulative 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. 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 June 23, 2026 at 10:17:27 AM.