Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 4446
Decision Date: May 16, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Rachel Atkins
Student Email: 13rta@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY211
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Victoria Sytsma
Dear Ms. Atkins:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit standing in SOCY 211 (W 2018). After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed all of the work of the course including the final examination, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower€. Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student€™s control. 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.
While you did experience some circumstances that were extenuating in nature over the winter term, it appears that you were properly accommodated by your instructor. Your letter states that your low grade in SOCY 211 was due to the fact that you missed 3 weeks of class and a lab that was worth 20 of your grade. Your instructor confirmed that your first quiz was dropped and she re-weighted the remaining 2 quizzes. She also gave you a grade for the first pop question and you attended one other in which you received a grade. You did not receive a grade on the other pop question that you submitted outside of class because the instructions specified that it was an in-class assignment. You missed the remaining pop questions because you were in not in class and you did not contact the instructor before or afterwards to explain your absence. In regards to your lab assignment, you requested an extension to complete it, the extension was granted and your lab assignment was accepted and graded without penalty.
Despite your ongoing health challenges, your grades in your other courses from the 2018 winter term are quite strong (all in the A range). It would appear that it is the difficulty level of the course, not your health issues that primarily contributed to your lower grade in SOCY 211.
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)
10138914Atkins2
Decision Date: May 16, 2018
Associate Dean: Jill Atkinson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Rachel Atkins
Student Email: 13rta@queensu.ca
Course: SOCY211
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Victoria Sytsma
Dear Ms. Atkins:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit standing in SOCY 211 (W 2018). After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed all of the work of the course including the final examination, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower€. Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student€™s control. 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.
While you did experience some circumstances that were extenuating in nature over the winter term, it appears that you were properly accommodated by your instructor. Your letter states that your low grade in SOCY 211 was due to the fact that you missed 3 weeks of class and a lab that was worth 20 of your grade. Your instructor confirmed that your first quiz was dropped and she re-weighted the remaining 2 quizzes. She also gave you a grade for the first pop question and you attended one other in which you received a grade. You did not receive a grade on the other pop question that you submitted outside of class because the instructions specified that it was an in-class assignment. You missed the remaining pop questions because you were in not in class and you did not contact the instructor before or afterwards to explain your absence. In regards to your lab assignment, you requested an extension to complete it, the extension was granted and your lab assignment was accepted and graded without penalty.
Despite your ongoing health challenges, your grades in your other courses from the 2018 winter term are quite strong (all in the A range). It would appear that it is the difficulty level of the course, not your health issues that primarily contributed to your lower grade in SOCY 211.
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)
10138914Atkins2
Generated May 16, 2018 at 1:34:28 PM.