Decision Letter
Submission Number: 10548
Decision Date: October 2, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Binyat Akrem
Student Email: 21bma1@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 241
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Kyla Mayne, Meghan Norris
Dear Binyat Akrem:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop POLS 241 (W23) past the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PSYC 100 (FW22/23). 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 Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.1 at https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petitions and appeals are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. 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 acknowledge that you experienced multiple extenuating circumstances during the 2022 Fall term that affected your mental health. I understand that you sought professional help during the subsequent Winter term and that your academic ability continued to be impacted despite that support. I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision however, as you were aware of the impacts from these circumstances well before the Winter term drop deadline, I cannot grant this request.
I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes during week 7 of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by week 8 of term. The drop deadlines, 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.
If you are concerned with the impact that these courses have on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative 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/.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: October 2, 2023
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Binyat Akrem
Student Email: 21bma1@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 241
Term: Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Kyla Mayne, Meghan Norris
Dear Binyat Akrem:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop POLS 241 (W23) past the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in PSYC 100 (FW22/23). 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 Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.1 at https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petitions and appeals are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. 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 acknowledge that you experienced multiple extenuating circumstances during the 2022 Fall term that affected your mental health. I understand that you sought professional help during the subsequent Winter term and that your academic ability continued to be impacted despite that support. I am sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision however, as you were aware of the impacts from these circumstances well before the Winter term drop deadline, I cannot grant this request.
I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes during week 7 of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by week 8 of term. The drop deadlines, 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.
If you are concerned with the impact that these courses have on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative 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/.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated October 2, 2023 at 8:23:55 AM.