Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11661
Decision Date: May 6, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Adam Carbonara
Student Email: 19arc13@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT215
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Leslie MacKenzie
Course: BCHM218
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Edmond Chan
Course: CHEM281
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Course: CLST204
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Gaelle Rioual
Course: PHGY215
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Chris Ward
Course: ANAT216
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Leslie MacKenzie
Course: CHEM282
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Zechel
Course: MICR221
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Bruce Banfield
Course: PHGY216
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Chris Ward
Course: STAT263
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Charles Molson
Adam Carbonara:
I have carefully considered your petition request for Credit Standing in ANAT 215, BCHM 218, CHEM 281, CLST 204, PHGY 215 (F21), ANAT 216, CHEM 282, MICR 221, PHGY 216, and STAT 263 (W22) After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To grant your request for Credit Standing in in ANAT 215, BCHM 218, CHEM 281, CLST 204, PHGY 215 (F21) due to the timeline, severity and academic impacts of extenuating circumstances during the 2021 Fall term as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a CR notation on your transcript.
To deny your request for Credit Standing in ANAT 216, CHEM 282, MICR 221, PHGY 216, and STAT 263 (W22). 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 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 individual grades as provided by the instructors of these courses.
I acknowledge that the extenuating circumstances that you experienced in the 2021 Fall term continued throughout the 2022 Winter term however, I want you to know that the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. I have denied this part of your request as your petition suggests that you were aware of the academic impacts of these circumstances prior to the drop deadline of the Winter term.
Going forward, academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration and 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, as they have been outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Arts and Science web
page, have been established by the Faculty of Arts and Science 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 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: May 6, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Adam Carbonara
Student Email: 19arc13@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT215
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Leslie MacKenzie
Course: BCHM218
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Edmond Chan
Course: CHEM281
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Course: CLST204
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Gaelle Rioual
Course: PHGY215
Term: Fall
Year: 2021
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Chris Ward
Course: ANAT216
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Leslie MacKenzie
Course: CHEM282
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: David Zechel
Course: MICR221
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Bruce Banfield
Course: PHGY216
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Chris Ward
Course: STAT263
Term: Winter
Year: 2022
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Charles Molson
Adam Carbonara:
I have carefully considered your petition request for Credit Standing in ANAT 215, BCHM 218, CHEM 281, CLST 204, PHGY 215 (F21), ANAT 216, CHEM 282, MICR 221, PHGY 216, and STAT 263 (W22) After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To grant your request for Credit Standing in in ANAT 215, BCHM 218, CHEM 281, CLST 204, PHGY 215 (F21) due to the timeline, severity and academic impacts of extenuating circumstances during the 2021 Fall term as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a CR notation on your transcript.
To deny your request for Credit Standing in ANAT 216, CHEM 282, MICR 221, PHGY 216, and STAT 263 (W22). 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 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 individual grades as provided by the instructors of these courses.
I acknowledge that the extenuating circumstances that you experienced in the 2021 Fall term continued throughout the 2022 Winter term however, I want you to know that the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. I have denied this part of your request as your petition suggests that you were aware of the academic impacts of these circumstances prior to the drop deadline of the Winter term.
Going forward, academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration and 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, as they have been outlined in the “Important Dates” section on the Arts and Science web
page, have been established by the Faculty of Arts and Science 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 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 May 6, 2024 at 10:15:35 AM.