Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 3725
Decision Date: September 21, 2017
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Christopher Nam
Student Email: 14cwn@queensu.ca
Course: STATS 268
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 221
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 124
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 102
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: STATS 263
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 281
Term: Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 111
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Nam:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop CISC 102, CISC 124, MATH 221, STAT 268 (F 2016), MATH 111 (FW 2016/17), MATH 281 and STAT 263 (W 2017) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be dropped 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 performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for dropping courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload.
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.
It appears that the primary motivation for this appeal is to have your failed courses dropped so the requirement to withdraw ruling can be removed, allowing you to remain in Canada. While I understand that this is a difficult situation you are facing, the appeals system is not intended to be used as a replacement for being proactive and dropping courses within the drop deadlines.
I do acknowledge that your letter alludes to some mental health challenges you experienced over the course of the year and makes reference to being affected by the deaths of two friends (November 2016 and April 2017), but unfortunately the only documentation supplied is one online post. There is nothing supplied to confirm the timeline, severity or impact that your mental health challenges had on your ability to drop courses by the drop deadlines, nor is there anything supplied to confirm your relationship with Mr. Henry and Ms. Zhang. The post contains no information regarding who it was sent to, who it was sent from or who it is in reference to (only €œAdam€). Without any sufficient documentation, I am not able to waive the academic regulations. Lastly, there is no plan of how you will address these mental health challenges moving forward in your studies.
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,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10185707Nam2
Decision Date: September 21, 2017
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Christopher Nam
Student Email: 14cwn@queensu.ca
Course: STATS 268
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 221
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 124
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 102
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: STATS 263
Term: Winter
Year: 2016
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 281
Term: Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 111
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2017
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mr. Nam:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop CISC 102, CISC 124, MATH 221, STAT 268 (F 2016), MATH 111 (FW 2016/17), MATH 281 and STAT 263 (W 2017) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be dropped 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 performance was significantly compromised by extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
The deadlines for dropping courses have been designed and established in order to provide sufficient time for students to determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload.
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.
It appears that the primary motivation for this appeal is to have your failed courses dropped so the requirement to withdraw ruling can be removed, allowing you to remain in Canada. While I understand that this is a difficult situation you are facing, the appeals system is not intended to be used as a replacement for being proactive and dropping courses within the drop deadlines.
I do acknowledge that your letter alludes to some mental health challenges you experienced over the course of the year and makes reference to being affected by the deaths of two friends (November 2016 and April 2017), but unfortunately the only documentation supplied is one online post. There is nothing supplied to confirm the timeline, severity or impact that your mental health challenges had on your ability to drop courses by the drop deadlines, nor is there anything supplied to confirm your relationship with Mr. Henry and Ms. Zhang. The post contains no information regarding who it was sent to, who it was sent from or who it is in reference to (only €œAdam€). Without any sufficient documentation, I am not able to waive the academic regulations. Lastly, there is no plan of how you will address these mental health challenges moving forward in your studies.
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,
Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
10185707Nam2
Generated September 21, 2017 at 9:39:25 AM.