Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Appeal Number: 9387
Decision Date: July 28, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Will McKay
Student Email: 16wjcm@queensu.ca

Course: GPHY 102
Term: Winter
Year: 2018
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 319
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 250
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 227
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: HLTH 101
Term: Summer
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: WRIT 125
Term: Summer
Year: 2020
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: DEVS 250
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

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

Course: GPHY 345
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 370
Term: Winter
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: GPHY 250
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Course: ENIN 340
Term: Summer
Year: 2021
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline

Dear Will McKay:

I have carefully considered your appeal to drop GPHY 102 (W18), GPHY 227 (W20), GPHY 243 (F20), HLTH 101 (S20), WRIT 125 (S20), DEVS 250 (W21), GPHY 330 (W21), GPHY 345 (W21), GPHY 370 (W21), ENIN 340 (S21), GPHY 250 (S21), GPHY 319 (S21), HLTH 101 (S21), WRIT 125 (S21), GPHY 227 (F21) and GPHY 243 (F21) past the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:

To grant your request to drop GPHY 102 (W18), GPHY 227 (W20), GPHY 243 (F20), HLTH 101 (S20), WRIT 125 (S20), DEVS 250 (W21), GPHY 330 (W21), GPHY 345 (W21), GPHY 370 (W21), ENIN 340 (S21), GPHY 250 (S21), and GPHY 319 (S21) past the academic deadline. I have granted this request as I recognize that these classes were impacted by the extenuating circumstances that you outlined in your appeal letter and that you were not being accommodated through Queen??s Student Accessibility Services until after the drop deadline of the May ?? June 2021 Summer session.

To deny your request to drop HLTH 101 (S21), WRIT 125 (S21), GPHY 227 (F21) and GPHY 243 (F21). 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 their control.

I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision however, the documentation that you supplied confirms that you were registered with Queen??s Student Accessibility Services in May of 2021 and received your Letter of Accommodation on June 15, 2021 which was before the drop deadline of the May ?? July 2021 Summer session. I want to remind you that it is the student??s responsibility to assess the impacts of extenuating circumstances on their academics before the deadline to drop a course each term. If you have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course before the 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.

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 https://www.queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness and guidance on policy and procedure by visiting their website at https://www.queensu.ca/ombuds/.

Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senate/student-academic-appeals-policyE and Rules of Procedure for USAB https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senate/student-academic-appeals-policy/usab-rules-of-procedure 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)