Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11226
Decision Date: January 15, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Zehao Li
Student Email: 0569lizehao@gmail.com
Dear Zehao Li:
I am sorry to have read of the passing of your father and want to offer my condolences. I have carefully considered your petition to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a Letter of Permission during this 2023/2024 academic year. After reviewing your petition to take 9.0 units of courses at Athabasca University during the 2024 Winter term, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Regulation 14.4 indicates that “the last two years of the Honours degree are taken in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s.” The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 3.3.1.7 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petition requests to complete any part of the third or fourth year at another University must directly address how this is necessary due to extenuating circumstances or an exceptional academic opportunity. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. 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 sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision, however, I want you to know that I considered this request very thoroughly. In making this decision, I reviewed your Petition Letter, the documentation that you supplied and your transcript.
I acknowledge that you wanted to take online courses during the Winter term so that you can participate in an internship in either China or Japan however, competing commitments such as work-related responsibilities are not considered to be an unexpected extenuating circumstance. If you need to take time away from your studies at Queen’s for the Winter term, you are welcome to do so. I also want to remind you that Queen’s offers your desired MATH and STAT courses on-campus and that taking these courses through Athabasca University doesn’t demonstrate to me to be an exceptional academic opportunity.
As you know, upper year students are allowed to apply for a maximum of 6.0 units of courses through a Letter of Permission at another institution per Fall/Winter academic year. If you haven’t already taken any courses on a Letter of Permission during the 2023 Fall term, you are eligible to apply for a Letter of Permission for the 2024 Winter term for 6.0 units of your desired courses through Athabasca. Please know that students are allowed to take a maximum of 18.0 units of courses per term including those enrolled in at other institutions.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean’s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness and guidance on policy and procedure by visiting their website at queensu.ca/ombuds/.
With sincere sympathy,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: January 15, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Zehao Li
Student Email: 0569lizehao@gmail.com
Dear Zehao Li:
I am sorry to have read of the passing of your father and want to offer my condolences. I have carefully considered your petition to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a Letter of Permission during this 2023/2024 academic year. After reviewing your petition to take 9.0 units of courses at Athabasca University during the 2024 Winter term, I have decided to deny your request.
As you know, Regulation 14.4 indicates that “the last two years of the Honours degree are taken in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s.” The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 3.3.1.7 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petition requests to complete any part of the third or fourth year at another University must directly address how this is necessary due to extenuating circumstances or an exceptional academic opportunity. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. 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 sympathetic to your situation and understand that this is a difficult decision, however, I want you to know that I considered this request very thoroughly. In making this decision, I reviewed your Petition Letter, the documentation that you supplied and your transcript.
I acknowledge that you wanted to take online courses during the Winter term so that you can participate in an internship in either China or Japan however, competing commitments such as work-related responsibilities are not considered to be an unexpected extenuating circumstance. If you need to take time away from your studies at Queen’s for the Winter term, you are welcome to do so. I also want to remind you that Queen’s offers your desired MATH and STAT courses on-campus and that taking these courses through Athabasca University doesn’t demonstrate to me to be an exceptional academic opportunity.
As you know, upper year students are allowed to apply for a maximum of 6.0 units of courses through a Letter of Permission at another institution per Fall/Winter academic year. If you haven’t already taken any courses on a Letter of Permission during the 2023 Fall term, you are eligible to apply for a Letter of Permission for the 2024 Winter term for 6.0 units of your desired courses through Athabasca. Please know that students are allowed to take a maximum of 18.0 units of courses per term including those enrolled in at other institutions.
If you wish to appeal the Associate Dean’s decision to the Board of Studies, information and deadlines can be found at 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 queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness and guidance on policy and procedure by visiting their website at queensu.ca/ombuds/.
With sincere sympathy,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated January 15, 2024 at 4:36:34 PM.