Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 6624
Decision Date: May 25, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Qiuwan Chen
Student Email: qsc73567@gmail.com
Course: CISC 204
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Joshua Dunfield
Course: ECON 110
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Harry Smith
Course: MATH121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Alan Ableson
Course: MATH 111
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Peter D Taylor
Course: CISC 102
Term: Summer
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Rappaport
Course: FREN 106
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Francesca Fiore
Course: CISC 101
Term: Summer
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Alan McLeod
Course: MUSC 104
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Thomas Davidson
Course: WRIT 125
Term: Summer
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Jean Prinsen
Course: ECON 111
Term: Fall
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Harry Smith
Course: MATH 121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Qiuwan Chen:
I am sorry to read of the various challenges you have outlined in your letter of appeal and I have carefully reviewed your request to drop MATH 111, MATH 121 (FW 2017/18); MATH 121 (FW 2018/19) and CISC 204 (F 2019) after the drop date. You have also appealed for Credit standing in FREN 106 (F 2017), ECON 110 (FW 2017/18), CISC 102 (S 2018), CISC 101, WRIT 125 (S 2019) and MUSC 104 (F 2019). After reviewing your file I have decided the following:
1. To grant your request to drop MATH 111 and MATH 121 (FW 2017/18) as well as grant your request to receive Credit standing in FREN 106 (F 2017) and ECON 110 (FW 2017/18) based on your extenuating circumstances. It is certainly understandable that you did not have knowledge of how your chronic and pre-existing condition would affect your studies.
2. To deny your request to drop MATH 121 (FW 2018/19) and CISC 204 (F 2019) after the drop date as well as your request for Credit standing in CISC 102 (S 2018), CISC 101, WRIT 125 (S 2019) and MUSC 104 (F 2019). 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 all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, 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 Regulations note that 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.
Qiuwan, I am sure this is a disappointing decision, but you were advised in the letter you received in June 2018 to take action and address courses before the drop date deadlines. The appeals process is designed to address circumstances that arise after the drop dates. The challenges you outline became evident to you prior to summer term 2018. If your challenges were persisting, you could have dropped your courses in these various terms prior to the academic drop deadline dates as there are no specific circumstances outlined that would have prevented that.
With regards to the internet challenges affecting your summer term 2019 courses, unfortunately technological challenges are not deemed extenuating in nature and adjusting a transcript due to those circumstances is not justified.
Let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the higher grade will be included with the GPA and the lower grade will be excluded. This may be a good strategy for you to consider as you select courses in the future.
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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Going forward, I strongly suggest that you pause and evaluate your progress in your courses during week 7 of term. If you have fallen behind in your studies due to your health or other extenuating circumstances, you should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline date.
I encourage you to continue to seek help with your dental pain Jenny and hope that you will follow through to meet with a psychologist. In the future, I also suggest that you consider registering with QSAS who may be able to assist you with both your health and academics.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20063544Chen1
Decision Date: May 25, 2020
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Qiuwan Chen
Student Email: qsc73567@gmail.com
Course: CISC 204
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Joshua Dunfield
Course: ECON 110
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Harry Smith
Course: MATH121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Alan Ableson
Course: MATH 111
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Peter D Taylor
Course: CISC 102
Term: Summer
Year: 2018
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Rappaport
Course: FREN 106
Term: Fall
Year: 2017
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Francesca Fiore
Course: CISC 101
Term: Summer
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Alan McLeod
Course: MUSC 104
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Thomas Davidson
Course: WRIT 125
Term: Summer
Year: 2019
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Jean Prinsen
Course: ECON 111
Term: Fall
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Harry Smith
Course: MATH 121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Qiuwan Chen:
I am sorry to read of the various challenges you have outlined in your letter of appeal and I have carefully reviewed your request to drop MATH 111, MATH 121 (FW 2017/18); MATH 121 (FW 2018/19) and CISC 204 (F 2019) after the drop date. You have also appealed for Credit standing in FREN 106 (F 2017), ECON 110 (FW 2017/18), CISC 102 (S 2018), CISC 101, WRIT 125 (S 2019) and MUSC 104 (F 2019). After reviewing your file I have decided the following:
1. To grant your request to drop MATH 111 and MATH 121 (FW 2017/18) as well as grant your request to receive Credit standing in FREN 106 (F 2017) and ECON 110 (FW 2017/18) based on your extenuating circumstances. It is certainly understandable that you did not have knowledge of how your chronic and pre-existing condition would affect your studies.
2. To deny your request to drop MATH 121 (FW 2018/19) and CISC 204 (F 2019) after the drop date as well as your request for Credit standing in CISC 102 (S 2018), CISC 101, WRIT 125 (S 2019) and MUSC 104 (F 2019). 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 all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, 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 Regulations note that 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.
Qiuwan, I am sure this is a disappointing decision, but you were advised in the letter you received in June 2018 to take action and address courses before the drop date deadlines. The appeals process is designed to address circumstances that arise after the drop dates. The challenges you outline became evident to you prior to summer term 2018. If your challenges were persisting, you could have dropped your courses in these various terms prior to the academic drop deadline dates as there are no specific circumstances outlined that would have prevented that.
With regards to the internet challenges affecting your summer term 2019 courses, unfortunately technological challenges are not deemed extenuating in nature and adjusting a transcript due to those circumstances is not justified.
Let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the higher grade will be included with the GPA and the lower grade will be excluded. This may be a good strategy for you to consider as you select courses in the future.
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 University Ombudsperson for information about student rights and responsibilities as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Going forward, I strongly suggest that you pause and evaluate your progress in your courses during week 7 of term. If you have fallen behind in your studies due to your health or other extenuating circumstances, you should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline date.
I encourage you to continue to seek help with your dental pain Jenny and hope that you will follow through to meet with a psychologist. In the future, I also suggest that you consider registering with QSAS who may be able to assist you with both your health and academics.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20063544Chen1
Generated May 25, 2020 at 2:42:12 PM.