Decision Letter
Appeal Number: 9949
Decision Date: January 30, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Olivia Arkinson
Student Email: 19oma2@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Summer
Year: 2020
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Meghan Norris
Course: ANAT 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Dr. Richard Oko
Dear Olivia:
I have read with interest your petition and I have carefully considered your request for Credit standing in ANAT 101 (W 2020) and PSYC 100 (S 2020) based on the circumstances reported. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower.? Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student??s control, often which took place after the drop date deadline. 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 extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
I certainly acknowledge that you have received a recent diagnosis related to your learning challenge, but the specific impact your challenges had on those two courses in particular has not been demonstrated in your petition letter. Additionally, other courses completed, pre-diagnosis, show excellent grades which is an indication that your learning challenge did not significantly impact your studies pre-diagnosis.
Going forward, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in courses by week 7 of the term 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 week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadline is set at Week 8 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.
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
Olivia, let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included.
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.
Best of luck in your courses this term.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20186370Arkinson
Decision Date: January 30, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Olivia Arkinson
Student Email: 19oma2@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Summer
Year: 2020
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Meghan Norris
Course: ANAT 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2020
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Dr. Richard Oko
Dear Olivia:
I have read with interest your petition and I have carefully considered your request for Credit standing in ANAT 101 (W 2020) and PSYC 100 (S 2020) based on the circumstances reported. After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Academic Regulation 10.3.2. states that, Credit standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed all of the work in the course including the final examination, and achieved a passing grade in the course, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond their control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower.? Credit standing is only granted in cases where there are well documented and unforeseen extenuating circumstances outside of a student??s control, often which took place after the drop date deadline. 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 extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control.
I certainly acknowledge that you have received a recent diagnosis related to your learning challenge, but the specific impact your challenges had on those two courses in particular has not been demonstrated in your petition letter. Additionally, other courses completed, pre-diagnosis, show excellent grades which is an indication that your learning challenge did not significantly impact your studies pre-diagnosis.
Going forward, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in courses by week 7 of the term 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 week 8 drop deadline. The drop deadline is set at Week 8 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.
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
Olivia, let me remind you that if a student repeats a course, the lower grade is excluded from their GPA and the higher grade is included.
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.
Best of luck in your courses this term.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20186370Arkinson
Generated January 30, 2023 at 10:48:42 AM.