Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Number: 8590
Decision Date: January 24, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Emma Wensley
Student Email: emma.wensley@queensu.ca

Course: BIOL 206
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: BCHM 218
Term: Fall
Year: 2019
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: BCHM 218
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline


Dear Emma:

I was sorry to read of the difficulties you outlined in your letter of appeal and after carefully considering your request to drop BHCM 218 (F 2019), BIOL 206 (W 2020) and BHCM 218 (S 2021) past the academic deadline, I have decided to grant your request based on the circumstances outlined as well as your documentation.

I have granted this appeal based on your recent diagnosis and since you are now registered with QSAS. I do need to warn you however that the appeals process is not meant to be used to manage learning challenges and an appeal based on the same circumstances may not be granted in the future. I encourage you to continue to work closely with your QSAS Advisor who can help you manage the impact of your learning challenges on your academics.??

Going forward, I recommend that you pause and evaluate your health during week 7 of each term, and if you have fallen behind or your health is impacting your studies, you should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadlines, as they have been outlined in the ??Important Dates? section on the Arts and Science web page, have been established by the Faculty of Arts and Science to ensure a fair and equitable treatment of all students at Queen's.

Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop deadline is our Academic Consideration protocol. A student can request short term consideration if they need more time to complete an assignment or had to miss a class due to documented extenuating circumstances. Here is the link for information about that process:

https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/academic-consideration-for-students

Note that any change in academic registration may impact government or private-firm student financial assistance eligibility and/or funding. Please consult with the Student Awards Office, Office of the University Registrar, Gordon Hall, to understand the potential implications of changes to course or program registration and/or the consequences of not successfully completing the required course load.

Best of luck with your current courses.

Yours sincerely,


Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic) 20119797Wensley