Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 709
Decision Date: February 4, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Arya Mobasher
Student Email: 0am11@queensu.ca
Course: ECON 445
Term: Fall
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Mr. Arya Mobasher
0am11@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Mobasher:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop ECON 445 (F 2014) 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 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 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.
While your appeal does describe some circumstances that are somewhat extenuating in nature, the supporting documentation is insufficient. The note from Dr. Townsend indicates that your brother was treated for medical reasons on December 2 and he was unable to write an exam on December 5. This does not confirm why you were unable to successfully write your exam on December 17, two weeks after your brother€™s illness. The note also does not confirm how serious your brother€™s illness was and whether or not you were needed to stay and care for him. Finally, I note that you performed relatively well in your other courses for which you had exams for during the same period but there is no clear explanation as to why only this course was affected by your circumstances and not the others. For these reasons I cannot reasonably waive the Faculty Regulation.
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 237 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)
06337363Mobasher2
Decision Date: February 4, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Arya Mobasher
Student Email: 0am11@queensu.ca
Course: ECON 445
Term: Fall
Year: 2014
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Mr. Arya Mobasher
0am11@queensu.ca
Dear Mr. Mobasher:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop ECON 445 (F 2014) 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 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 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.
While your appeal does describe some circumstances that are somewhat extenuating in nature, the supporting documentation is insufficient. The note from Dr. Townsend indicates that your brother was treated for medical reasons on December 2 and he was unable to write an exam on December 5. This does not confirm why you were unable to successfully write your exam on December 17, two weeks after your brother€™s illness. The note also does not confirm how serious your brother€™s illness was and whether or not you were needed to stay and care for him. Finally, I note that you performed relatively well in your other courses for which you had exams for during the same period but there is no clear explanation as to why only this course was affected by your circumstances and not the others. For these reasons I cannot reasonably waive the Faculty Regulation.
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 237 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)
06337363Mobasher2
Generated February 4, 2015 at 2:01:13 PM.