Decision Letter
Submission Number: 10737
Decision Date: July 18, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Femi Abiola
Student Email: 20ofa1@queensu.ca
Course: BIOL 200
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: BIOL 212
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 350
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 285
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 262
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 212
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Femi:
I have read with interest your petition to drop BIOL 212, POLS 350, POLS 285, and POLS 262 (W 2023), taking note of the challenges you outlined. After reviewing your petition fully, I have decided to deny your request. You also asked to drop BIOL 200 and POLS 212 (W 2023), but you were not registered in those courses at the time of your petition submission.
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 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, often taking place after the drop deadline.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however you received remedies for your challenges during Fall term 2022 and you made the decision to not drop the courses prior to the drop date, even though your documentation shows that your functioning impairments began on January 9, 2023.
In the future, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in a course prior to 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, as outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science web page, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop deadline is our Academic Consideration service. 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
Femi, let me remind you that if a student repeats a lower graded course, the low grade will be excluded from their GPA and the higher grade, 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 as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20289476Abiola
Decision Date: July 18, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Femi Abiola
Student Email: 20ofa1@queensu.ca
Course: BIOL 200
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: BIOL 212
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 350
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 285
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 262
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 212
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Femi:
I have read with interest your petition to drop BIOL 212, POLS 350, POLS 285, and POLS 262 (W 2023), taking note of the challenges you outlined. After reviewing your petition fully, I have decided to deny your request. You also asked to drop BIOL 200 and POLS 212 (W 2023), but you were not registered in those courses at the time of your petition submission.
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 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, often taking place after the drop deadline.
I am certainly sympathetic to your situation and realize that this is a disappointing decision, however you received remedies for your challenges during Fall term 2022 and you made the decision to not drop the courses prior to the drop date, even though your documentation shows that your functioning impairments began on January 9, 2023.
In the future, I encourage you to carefully evaluate your progress in a course prior to 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, as outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Faculty of Arts and Science web page, have been established to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students.
Another tool to manage your academics in addition to dropping a course by the drop deadline is our Academic Consideration service. 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
Femi, let me remind you that if a student repeats a lower graded course, the low grade will be excluded from their GPA and the higher grade, 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 as well as guidance on policy and procedure (www.queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
20289476Abiola
Generated July 18, 2023 at 10:10:26 AM.