Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 2714
Decision Date: October 7, 2016
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Januja Debalathas
Student Email: 0jd48@queensu.ca
Course: FREN 106
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Offredi,Frederique A
Course: LIBS 100
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Siljak,Ana
Course: MUSC 102
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Freeman,Graham
Course: ENGL 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: May,Robert G
Course: RELS 131
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: LaGrone,Danielle
Dear Ms. Debalathas:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add FREN 106, LIBS 100, MUSC 102 (F 2016), ENGL 100 and RELS 131 (FW 2016/17) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be added on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Regulations (Appeal of Academic Decisions, IIIb) stress that exceptions to this will only be waived under exceptional circumstances. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts in general would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation indicating that the student€™s ability to add a course within the deadline was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for adding courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to obtain the relevant permission, determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, beyond your control, which would have prevented you from meeting the add deadline as published in the Arts and Science Calendar, I can not reasonably waive the Faculty Regulation.
Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
Your appeal does not present any extenuating circumstances which prevented you from adding these courses by the deadline, nor does it supply any sufficient supporting documentation. Lack of tuition payment is not considered to be an extenuating circumstance that would warrant adding courses this late past the deadline.
We are now at the end of Week 4 of the fall term, which in our experience is too late to begin an online course and be able to catch up successfully if the student has not already been participating. For this reason, the Continuing and Distance Studies office does not typically support appeals for late course adds, and your appeal does not include permission from CDS or the course instructors. You can enrol in courses for the winter term but be cautioned that your academic record will be assessed in May 2017. If your GPA is lower than 1.60 during the time of this assessment, you will be required to withdraw for a minimum of three years.
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,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10019376Debalathas
Decision Date: October 7, 2016
Associate Dean: Sue Blake
Student Name: Januja Debalathas
Student Email: 0jd48@queensu.ca
Course: FREN 106
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Offredi,Frederique A
Course: LIBS 100
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Siljak,Ana
Course: MUSC 102
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Freeman,Graham
Course: ENGL 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: May,Robert G
Course: RELS 131
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: LaGrone,Danielle
Dear Ms. Debalathas:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add FREN 106, LIBS 100, MUSC 102 (F 2016), ENGL 100 and RELS 131 (FW 2016/17) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be added on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Regulations (Appeal of Academic Decisions, IIIb) stress that exceptions to this will only be waived under exceptional circumstances. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts in general would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation indicating that the student€™s ability to add a course within the deadline was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for adding courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to obtain the relevant permission, determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, beyond your control, which would have prevented you from meeting the add deadline as published in the Arts and Science Calendar, I can not reasonably waive the Faculty Regulation.
Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance. Additionally, these kinds of extraordinary situations are normally supported by documentation from a professional.
Your appeal does not present any extenuating circumstances which prevented you from adding these courses by the deadline, nor does it supply any sufficient supporting documentation. Lack of tuition payment is not considered to be an extenuating circumstance that would warrant adding courses this late past the deadline.
We are now at the end of Week 4 of the fall term, which in our experience is too late to begin an online course and be able to catch up successfully if the student has not already been participating. For this reason, the Continuing and Distance Studies office does not typically support appeals for late course adds, and your appeal does not include permission from CDS or the course instructors. You can enrol in courses for the winter term but be cautioned that your academic record will be assessed in May 2017. If your GPA is lower than 1.60 during the time of this assessment, you will be required to withdraw for a minimum of three years.
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,
Sue Blake
Assistant Dean (Studies)
10019376Debalathas
Generated October 7, 2016 at 1:38:59 PM.