Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 9610
Decision Date: October 31, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Caitlin Reid
Student Email: 16cpr1@queensu.ca
Course: HLTH 305
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Caitlin:
I am sorry to have read in your letter of appeal the challenges you reported, and I have carefully considered your request to drop HLTH 305 (W 2022) 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 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 circumstances and documentation indicating that the student??s performance was significantly compromised.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however your appeal outlines that you have been dealing with a chronic condition and have been seeking treatment regarding your condition, and I commend you for that. However, there are no new extenuating circumstances which prevented you from dropping this course by the drop deadline, and there were no new extenuating circumstances which left you unable to complete the course during the Incomplete period (summer term 2022).
The appeals process is not meant to manage an ongoing and/or chronic condition. Instead, as you have been advised previously, student should pause and evaluate their progress in courses during week 7 of term and if they have fallen behind or their health is impacting their progress, they should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline.
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 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
Caitlin, let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the low grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included, which would mean there would be no long-term negative impact on your 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 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)
20052282Reid
Decision Date: October 31, 2022
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Caitlin Reid
Student Email: 16cpr1@queensu.ca
Course: HLTH 305
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Caitlin:
I am sorry to have read in your letter of appeal the challenges you reported, and I have carefully considered your request to drop HLTH 305 (W 2022) 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 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 circumstances and documentation indicating that the student??s performance was significantly compromised.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however your appeal outlines that you have been dealing with a chronic condition and have been seeking treatment regarding your condition, and I commend you for that. However, there are no new extenuating circumstances which prevented you from dropping this course by the drop deadline, and there were no new extenuating circumstances which left you unable to complete the course during the Incomplete period (summer term 2022).
The appeals process is not meant to manage an ongoing and/or chronic condition. Instead, as you have been advised previously, student should pause and evaluate their progress in courses during week 7 of term and if they have fallen behind or their health is impacting their progress, they should drop courses by the week 8 drop deadline.
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 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
Caitlin, let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the low grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included, which would mean there would be no long-term negative impact on your 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 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)
20052282Reid
Generated October 31, 2022 at 8:21:56 AM.