Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 2608
Decision Date: September 27, 2016
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Lucas Ammendolia
Student Email: 15vla@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Ammendolia:
I have carefully considered your request to have your appeal heard after the 21-day timeline for submission. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
The appeal timeline is in place to give students sufficient time to respond to an academic decision. The 21-day timeline offers students time to seek academic counseling, to write up and submit an appeal, and to collect the supporting documents necessary to the appeal. Further, the appeal timeline is in place to ensure that decision making takes place in a timely manner, allowing students to continue in their academic programs without ongoing concern for unresolved matters.
Exceptions to this regulation can only be granted in cases where extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control render the student unable to appeal within the specified timeline. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented the student from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the appeal was eventually initiated.
Your appeal letter states that you neglected to submit your appeal requesting to waive the requirement to withdraw because you €œdid not know how the outcome of the summer term would affect your GPA.€ Your notification letter, sent May 24, 2016, states that, €œA student shall be Required to Withdraw for One Year if he or she a cumulative GPA of less than 0.70 at the time of assessment.€ It also states, €œYou will not be permitted to register in the Faculty of Arts and Science for twelve months. That is, if your last course was taken in the Winter term 2016, you may return to studies beginning May 2017. If you are currently registered in the summer session, you may continue with the course(s) to completion, and you may return to studies beginning September 2017.€ If these conditions were not clear at the time, it was your responsibility to follow up with the Faculty Office in a timely manner to seek clarification and advice. To allow you the opportunity to submit a late appeal to waive the requirement to withdraw based solely on the outcome of your summer term grades would be unfair to other students who were required to withdraw and not afforded the same opportunity.
Your letter also states, €œAs well, I was unaware that I would be required to submit an appeal as I did not feel that my situation fell under the circumstances for an appeal€. Again, it was your responsibility to seek advice in a timely manner concerning your appeal options.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/students-at-queens/academic-appeals (click on €œBoard of Studies€) Do not use the on-line application for this process. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsman for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 421 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10194055Ammendolia
Decision Date: September 27, 2016
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Lucas Ammendolia
Student Email: 15vla@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Ammendolia:
I have carefully considered your request to have your appeal heard after the 21-day timeline for submission. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
The appeal timeline is in place to give students sufficient time to respond to an academic decision. The 21-day timeline offers students time to seek academic counseling, to write up and submit an appeal, and to collect the supporting documents necessary to the appeal. Further, the appeal timeline is in place to ensure that decision making takes place in a timely manner, allowing students to continue in their academic programs without ongoing concern for unresolved matters.
Exceptions to this regulation can only be granted in cases where extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control render the student unable to appeal within the specified timeline. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented the student from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the appeal was eventually initiated.
Your appeal letter states that you neglected to submit your appeal requesting to waive the requirement to withdraw because you €œdid not know how the outcome of the summer term would affect your GPA.€ Your notification letter, sent May 24, 2016, states that, €œA student shall be Required to Withdraw for One Year if he or she a cumulative GPA of less than 0.70 at the time of assessment.€ It also states, €œYou will not be permitted to register in the Faculty of Arts and Science for twelve months. That is, if your last course was taken in the Winter term 2016, you may return to studies beginning May 2017. If you are currently registered in the summer session, you may continue with the course(s) to completion, and you may return to studies beginning September 2017.€ If these conditions were not clear at the time, it was your responsibility to follow up with the Faculty Office in a timely manner to seek clarification and advice. To allow you the opportunity to submit a late appeal to waive the requirement to withdraw based solely on the outcome of your summer term grades would be unfair to other students who were required to withdraw and not afforded the same opportunity.
Your letter also states, €œAs well, I was unaware that I would be required to submit an appeal as I did not feel that my situation fell under the circumstances for an appeal€. Again, it was your responsibility to seek advice in a timely manner concerning your appeal options.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, you must submit an appeal to the Board of Studies within 21 days of the date this decision was sent. Guidelines for appealing to the Board of Studies and the appeal form can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/students-at-queens/academic-appeals (click on €œBoard of Studies€) Do not use the on-line application for this process. You may contact Mr. Harry Smith, Office of the Ombudsman for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 421 Robert Sutherland Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10194055Ammendolia
Generated September 27, 2016 at 9:19:34 AM.