Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Number: 8495
Decision Date: January 17, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: John Poirier
Student Email: 18jrdp@queensu.ca

Course: HIST 305
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 247
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 209
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 330
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Dear John Poirier:

I have carefully considered your appeal request to drop HIST 305 (FW 2020/2021), GPHY 209, GPHY 247 and GPHY 330 (F21) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:

To grant your request to drop GPHY 209, GPHY 247 and GPHY 330 (F21) due to the timeline, severity and impact of your extenuating circumstances on these courses as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a ?DR?? notation. Going forward I would suggest that you evaluate your academic progress during week 7 of the term and make sure to drop courses that you have fallen behind in or find the material too difficult in by week 8 of the term.

To deny your request to drop HIST 305 (FW 2020/2021) after the academic deadline. 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 extenuating 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 circumstances beyond his or her control. I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision however, the documentation that you supplied indicates that the onset of your extenuating circumstances was November of 2021 and doesn??t speak to the 2020/2021 academic year.

I want to remind you that repeating courses is a recommended strategy if you are concerned about a lower grade impacting your grade point average. When repeating the exact same course, both grades remain on your transcript but only the higher one is included within your cumulative GPA.

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 ??Board of Studies?). 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).

Sincerely,

Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)