Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 4418
Decision Date: May 15, 2018
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Zamil Soomro
Student Email: 14zas3@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS 250
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ms. Soomro:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop DEVS 100B, DEVS 221, DEVS 250 and SOCY 122B (W 2018) 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 extenuating 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 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.
Your appeal and file shows that your circumstances appeared to have affected you in December, prior to the start of the 2018 winter term. However, there is no explanation supplied as to why you were not able to make a decision to drop these courses by the Week 8 deadline. Given that you successfully appealed to drop courses during your registration as a Commerce Student, you should have been well aware of the drop deadlines as well as your current academic standing. Furthermore, the note supplied by your counsellor is primarily based on your own self-report as you did not seek any help until mid-April. Without sufficient documentation from a healthcare provider who can fully confirm the timeline and severity of your circumstances and comment on the impact that these circumstances had on your ability to drop courses by the deadline, I cannot reasonably grant your request.
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)
10176288Soomro
Decision Date: May 15, 2018
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Zamil Soomro
Student Email: 14zas3@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS 250
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ms. Soomro:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop DEVS 100B, DEVS 221, DEVS 250 and SOCY 122B (W 2018) 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 extenuating 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 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.
Your appeal and file shows that your circumstances appeared to have affected you in December, prior to the start of the 2018 winter term. However, there is no explanation supplied as to why you were not able to make a decision to drop these courses by the Week 8 deadline. Given that you successfully appealed to drop courses during your registration as a Commerce Student, you should have been well aware of the drop deadlines as well as your current academic standing. Furthermore, the note supplied by your counsellor is primarily based on your own self-report as you did not seek any help until mid-April. Without sufficient documentation from a healthcare provider who can fully confirm the timeline and severity of your circumstances and comment on the impact that these circumstances had on your ability to drop courses by the deadline, I cannot reasonably grant your request.
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)
10176288Soomro
Generated May 15, 2018 at 3:43:26 PM.