Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 5590
Decision Date: May 30, 2019
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: ZHIHAN LI
Student Email: 16zl11@queensu.ca
Course: GNDS326
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Yasmine Djerbal
Course: LLCU326
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Jennifer Ruth Hosek
Dear Zhihan (Kate) Li,
I am sorry to have read that you have been struggling this winter term with your personal health. Based on the issues you have outlined in your appeal letter, I have carefully considered your request to to have your grade changed to Credit Standing in LLCU 326 and GNDS 326(W 19), I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be dropped on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Regulations stress that these rules will only be waived under extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation of their extenuating circumstances.
The documents you provided are dated January 7th which indicate that your health condition was expected to last 8-12 weeks. You should have dropped your course before the March 1st deadline as you were aware of the length of time your health condition would last. Therefore, I cannot grant your request. This may be a disappointing decision, but let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the low grade is excluded from their grade point average and the higher grade is included which would mean there would be no long term negative impact on your GPA.
You have also used the Academic Consideration process for up to 3 months 6 times during the 2018/19 academic year. You need to access other supports to manage your chronic health condition. I encourage you to reach out to Queen€™s Accessibility Services (QSAS) in Student Wellness to explore if you qualify for an accommodation that may help you manage your academics along with your health related challenges.
In the future, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in a course by week 7 of the term and if you have not been keeping up with the course work, you should drop the course by the week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadline is set at Week 8 to allow students plenty of time to assess their progress in a class and withdraw without any academic penalty if they feel that they cannot keep up with the demands or have the academic background needed to successfully complete it.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 the Office of the Ombudsman (www.queensu.ca/ombudsman) for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
20028442_Li_5590
Decision Date: May 30, 2019
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: ZHIHAN LI
Student Email: 16zl11@queensu.ca
Course: GNDS326
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Yasmine Djerbal
Course: LLCU326
Term: Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Jennifer Ruth Hosek
Dear Zhihan (Kate) Li,
I am sorry to have read that you have been struggling this winter term with your personal health. Based on the issues you have outlined in your appeal letter, I have carefully considered your request to to have your grade changed to Credit Standing in LLCU 326 and GNDS 326(W 19), I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, courses must be dropped on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The Academic Regulations stress that these rules will only be waived under extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance. The integrity of Arts and Science transcripts would be greatly diminished if the Faculty were to effect changes to students€™ records without clear and compelling documentation of their extenuating circumstances.
The documents you provided are dated January 7th which indicate that your health condition was expected to last 8-12 weeks. You should have dropped your course before the March 1st deadline as you were aware of the length of time your health condition would last. Therefore, I cannot grant your request. This may be a disappointing decision, but let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the low grade is excluded from their grade point average and the higher grade is included which would mean there would be no long term negative impact on your GPA.
You have also used the Academic Consideration process for up to 3 months 6 times during the 2018/19 academic year. You need to access other supports to manage your chronic health condition. I encourage you to reach out to Queen€™s Accessibility Services (QSAS) in Student Wellness to explore if you qualify for an accommodation that may help you manage your academics along with your health related challenges.
In the future, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in a course by week 7 of the term and if you have not been keeping up with the course work, you should drop the course by the week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadline is set at Week 8 to allow students plenty of time to assess their progress in a class and withdraw without any academic penalty if they feel that they cannot keep up with the demands or have the academic background needed to successfully complete it.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean€™s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 the Office of the Ombudsman (www.queensu.ca/ombudsman) for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
20028442_Li_5590
Generated May 30, 2019 at 12:09:23 PM.