Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 8863
Decision Date: March 28, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Paula Friedel
Student Email: paula.friedel@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Paula:
I have read with interest your appeal to drop PSYC 100 (FW 2021/22), taking note of the challenges you outlined. After reviewing your appeal fully, 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 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. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however the information I gathered from the Registrar??s Office confirms that a student can drop a course with a senate sanction and they also advised that you were last on SOLUS on September 7th which demonstrates that you had not attempted to drop the course by the week 8 drop deadline. Additionally, I can see that a course was previously dropped through the appeal process so you knew there was a week 8 deadline which needed to be adhered to.
Paula, I have noticed that you are currently registered in 12.0 units during the upcoming summer 2022 term which is a heavy course load for the condensed summer term. I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in your courses by the drop deadline and if you are finding the material too difficult or have not kept up with the course work, you should drop the course by the drop deadline. The drop deadlines are set to allow students plenty of time to assess their progress in a class and withdraw without any academic penalty if they feel that they cannot keep up with the demands or have the academic background needed to successfully complete it. Let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is include.
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
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).
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen??s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20167567Friedel
Decision Date: March 28, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Paula Friedel
Student Email: paula.friedel@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Paula:
I have read with interest your appeal to drop PSYC 100 (FW 2021/22), taking note of the challenges you outlined. After reviewing your appeal fully, 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 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. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond your control and debilitating to your overall academic performance.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however the information I gathered from the Registrar??s Office confirms that a student can drop a course with a senate sanction and they also advised that you were last on SOLUS on September 7th which demonstrates that you had not attempted to drop the course by the week 8 drop deadline. Additionally, I can see that a course was previously dropped through the appeal process so you knew there was a week 8 deadline which needed to be adhered to.
Paula, I have noticed that you are currently registered in 12.0 units during the upcoming summer 2022 term which is a heavy course load for the condensed summer term. I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in your courses by the drop deadline and if you are finding the material too difficult or have not kept up with the course work, you should drop the course by the drop deadline. The drop deadlines are set to allow students plenty of time to assess their progress in a class and withdraw without any academic penalty if they feel that they cannot keep up with the demands or have the academic background needed to successfully complete it. Let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is include.
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
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).
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen??s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20167567Friedel
Generated March 28, 2022 at 8:40:31 AM.