Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 643
Decision Date: January 28, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Tiffany Fong
Student Email: 9tf@queensu.ca
Course: MATH 122
Term: Fall
Year: 2010
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Victor Lozovanu
Course: BIOL 103
Term: Fall
Year: 2010
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Virginia Walker
Course: CHEM 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carren
Course: ECON 112
Term: Winter
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ugurhan Berkok
Course: ECON 111
Term: Fall
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ugurhan Berkok
Course: CHEM 211
Term: Fall
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Sunning Wang
Course: CHEM 212
Term: Fall
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Petitjean, Anne Marie-Louise
Course: CHEM 222
Term: Winter
Year: 2012
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Crudden, Cathleen M.
Course: CHEM 223
Term: Winter
Year: 2012
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Gang Wu
Ms. Tiffany Fong
9tf@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Fong:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit standing in ECON 111 (F 2010), BIOL 103, CHEM 112B, ECON 112, MATH 121B (W 2011), CHEM 211, CHEM 212 (F 2011), CHEM 222 and CHEM 223 (W 2012). After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.2.2. 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€. The Calendar goes on to stress that Credit standing will only be granted 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 her control.
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.
While your appeal does describe some circumstances that are extenuating in nature, it fails to include any adequate supporting documentation. The medical note from Dr. O€™Brien, dated November 17, 2014, confirms that you had €œundiagnosed and untreated ADHD that was diagnosed about a month ago€ and goes on to state, €œThis condition may have had a negative impact on her school performance and function€. This note does not clearly define the timeline of your ADHD, how severe it is nor does the letter confirm the impact that your ADHD would have had on your first and second year courses. The verification of illness form you supplied confirms that you were moderately ill from December 1, 2013 to March 1, 2014, which is past the timeline these courses took place.
Furthermore, the appeal letter fails to explain why these courses only were affected by your circumstances and not the other courses you were registered in during the same time periods. For example, in your first year of studies (2010/11) it appears that you performed well in BIOL 102, ECON 111 and PHYS 107 (grades in the low to high 70€™s). You also performed well in your 2011 summer term courses (A- and B). The 2011 fall term also shows some high grades (Bs) in BIOL 205 and ECON 212 as well as some high grades from the 2012 winter term (B in GNDS 125 and B in STAT 263). Lastly, the letter from Dr. O€™Brien confirms that you have just recently begun treatment for your ADHD since the 2014 fall term, yet your grades from Fall 2012 up to this time have been quite good (As and Bs mostly). Your letter does not explain why your circumstances did not affect you during this time period when you had still been untreated. The grade pattern on your transcript suggests to me that perhaps you are simply stronger in Arts courses than science courses where your grades tend to be lower, especially in Chemistry. Without any documentation to confirm that your ADHD diagnosis in fact affected your academic performance in these courses in particular, 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 Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 153 Richardson Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
06220576Fong2
Decision Date: January 28, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Tiffany Fong
Student Email: 9tf@queensu.ca
Course: MATH 122
Term: Fall
Year: 2010
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Victor Lozovanu
Course: BIOL 103
Term: Fall
Year: 2010
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Virginia Walker
Course: CHEM 122
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carren
Course: ECON 112
Term: Winter
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ugurhan Berkok
Course: ECON 111
Term: Fall
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ugurhan Berkok
Course: CHEM 211
Term: Fall
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Sunning Wang
Course: CHEM 212
Term: Fall
Year: 2011
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Petitjean, Anne Marie-Louise
Course: CHEM 222
Term: Winter
Year: 2012
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Crudden, Cathleen M.
Course: CHEM 223
Term: Winter
Year: 2012
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Gang Wu
Ms. Tiffany Fong
9tf@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Fong:
I have carefully considered your appeal to receive Credit standing in ECON 111 (F 2010), BIOL 103, CHEM 112B, ECON 112, MATH 121B (W 2011), CHEM 211, CHEM 212 (F 2011), CHEM 222 and CHEM 223 (W 2012). After reviewing your file I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.2.2. 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€. The Calendar goes on to stress that Credit standing will only be granted 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 her control.
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.
While your appeal does describe some circumstances that are extenuating in nature, it fails to include any adequate supporting documentation. The medical note from Dr. O€™Brien, dated November 17, 2014, confirms that you had €œundiagnosed and untreated ADHD that was diagnosed about a month ago€ and goes on to state, €œThis condition may have had a negative impact on her school performance and function€. This note does not clearly define the timeline of your ADHD, how severe it is nor does the letter confirm the impact that your ADHD would have had on your first and second year courses. The verification of illness form you supplied confirms that you were moderately ill from December 1, 2013 to March 1, 2014, which is past the timeline these courses took place.
Furthermore, the appeal letter fails to explain why these courses only were affected by your circumstances and not the other courses you were registered in during the same time periods. For example, in your first year of studies (2010/11) it appears that you performed well in BIOL 102, ECON 111 and PHYS 107 (grades in the low to high 70€™s). You also performed well in your 2011 summer term courses (A- and B). The 2011 fall term also shows some high grades (Bs) in BIOL 205 and ECON 212 as well as some high grades from the 2012 winter term (B in GNDS 125 and B in STAT 263). Lastly, the letter from Dr. O€™Brien confirms that you have just recently begun treatment for your ADHD since the 2014 fall term, yet your grades from Fall 2012 up to this time have been quite good (As and Bs mostly). Your letter does not explain why your circumstances did not affect you during this time period when you had still been untreated. The grade pattern on your transcript suggests to me that perhaps you are simply stronger in Arts courses than science courses where your grades tend to be lower, especially in Chemistry. Without any documentation to confirm that your ADHD diagnosis in fact affected your academic performance in these courses in particular, 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 Ombudsperson for advice on matters of procedure and on obtaining a representative. His office is located in room 153 Richardson Hall and he can be reached by phone (533-6495) or e-mail (ombuds@queensu.ca).
Sincerely,
Johanne Bénard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Studies)
06220576Fong2
Generated January 28, 2015 at 9:33:54 AM.