Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11177
Decision Date: February 5, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Michelle Macdonald
Student Email: 21mcm15@queensu.ca
Course: ASTR 101
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: William Joyce
Dear Michelle Macdonald:
I have carefully considered your petition request for Credit Standing in ASTR 101 (F22). After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.1 at 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. 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 two pieces of documentation that you supplied, and the information that I received from your instructors related to your grades in this course.
I acknowledge the ongoing nature of the extenuating circumstances that you reported within your petition letter and I recognize that it has taken time for you to obtain support and treatment. I have denied this request as both pieces of documentation that you supplied confirm that this extenuating circumstance was not unexpected during the 2022 Fall term as it was known to you prior to the start of term. 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.
I want to remind you that the documentation that you supplied dated July 29, 2022 suggests a disability that would qualify for ongoing accommodations. The instructor of ASTR 101 has confirmed that there were no accommodations listed for you and that there were no requests made for accommodations from you until the end of the term where you were granted an exam deferral into January. I would suggest that you consider registering with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you obtain ongoing support from a Counsellor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it 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 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/.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: February 5, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Michelle Macdonald
Student Email: 21mcm15@queensu.ca
Course: ASTR 101
Term: Fall
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: William Joyce
Dear Michelle Macdonald:
I have carefully considered your petition request for Credit Standing in ASTR 101 (F22). After reviewing your file, I have decided to deny your request.
The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.1 at 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. 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 two pieces of documentation that you supplied, and the information that I received from your instructors related to your grades in this course.
I acknowledge the ongoing nature of the extenuating circumstances that you reported within your petition letter and I recognize that it has taken time for you to obtain support and treatment. I have denied this request as both pieces of documentation that you supplied confirm that this extenuating circumstance was not unexpected during the 2022 Fall term as it was known to you prior to the start of term. 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.
I want to remind you that the documentation that you supplied dated July 29, 2022 suggests a disability that would qualify for ongoing accommodations. The instructor of ASTR 101 has confirmed that there were no accommodations listed for you and that there were no requests made for accommodations from you until the end of the term where you were granted an exam deferral into January. I would suggest that you consider registering with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you obtain ongoing support from a Counsellor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it 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 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/.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated February 5, 2024 at 10:35:21 AM.