Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 4249
Decision Date: March 19, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Katherine Mackrell
Student Email: k.mackrell@queensu.ca
Course: PHIL 464
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Nancy Salay
Dear Ms. Mackrell:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add PHIL 464 (W 2018) 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.
It appears that you have been offered a great deal of support throughout the process of adding this course and you have been notified repeatedly not to attend classes because you are not registered in the course or at the University. Furthermore, while you have the support of the instructor, the Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the Philosophy department is not in agreement. Lastly, there is no supporting documentation supplied to confirm the presence of any circumstances that prevented you from following the procedures outlined by advising staff in the Faculty of Arts and Science and the School of Graduate Studies on January 24, 2018. In fact, it appears that you sent several emails throughout the period in which you were asked to register as a special student through the School of Graduate 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)
04696512Mackrell
cc: Professor N. Salay
Professor D. Knight
Decision Date: March 19, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Katherine Mackrell
Student Email: k.mackrell@queensu.ca
Course: PHIL 464
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Nancy Salay
Dear Ms. Mackrell:
I have carefully considered your appeal to add PHIL 464 (W 2018) 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.
It appears that you have been offered a great deal of support throughout the process of adding this course and you have been notified repeatedly not to attend classes because you are not registered in the course or at the University. Furthermore, while you have the support of the instructor, the Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the Philosophy department is not in agreement. Lastly, there is no supporting documentation supplied to confirm the presence of any circumstances that prevented you from following the procedures outlined by advising staff in the Faculty of Arts and Science and the School of Graduate Studies on January 24, 2018. In fact, it appears that you sent several emails throughout the period in which you were asked to register as a special student through the School of Graduate 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)
04696512Mackrell
cc: Professor N. Salay
Professor D. Knight
Generated March 19, 2018 at 11:02:14 AM.