Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 825
Decision Date: March 26, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Lucy Liu
Student Email: lucy.liu@queensu.ca
Course: FREN 221
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Ms. Lucy Liu
Lucy.liu@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Liu:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop FREN 221B (W 2015) 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 extenuating in nature, there is no explanation provided as to why you were not able to drop this course by the February 27 deadline. Your letter states that your family issues began in October and you have been trying to work through these challenges since that time. Your letter also states that you have had difficulty with this course in almost every assignment and midterm. It appears that you had both a sufficient amount of time and sufficient feedback to make this decision to drop the course by the published deadline. Without the presence of any extenuating circumstances, beyond your control, which would have prevented you from meeting this drop deadline, I can not 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)
10042468Liu
Decision Date: March 26, 2015
Associate Dean: Johanne Benard, Ph.D.
Student Name: Lucy Liu
Student Email: lucy.liu@queensu.ca
Course: FREN 221
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2015
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Ms. Lucy Liu
Lucy.liu@queensu.ca
Dear Ms. Liu:
I have carefully considered your appeal to drop FREN 221B (W 2015) 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 extenuating in nature, there is no explanation provided as to why you were not able to drop this course by the February 27 deadline. Your letter states that your family issues began in October and you have been trying to work through these challenges since that time. Your letter also states that you have had difficulty with this course in almost every assignment and midterm. It appears that you had both a sufficient amount of time and sufficient feedback to make this decision to drop the course by the published deadline. Without the presence of any extenuating circumstances, beyond your control, which would have prevented you from meeting this drop deadline, I can not 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)
10042468Liu
Generated March 26, 2015 at 11:23:38 AM.