Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11633
Decision Date: May 13, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Safwan Bin Sadek
Student Email: 22sbs1@queensu.ca
Course: MATH 121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ping Li
Course: MATH 111
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Peter Taylor
Dear Safwan:
I have carefully considered your petition request for Credit Standing in MATH 111 and MATH 121 (FW22/23). 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. 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 the information that I received from your instructor related to your grades in these courses.
I understand that you arrived late to Queen’s University for the 2022 Fall term, and I acknowledge the mental health struggles that you faced while adjusting to living on campus. I am also sorry to hear about your uncle’s health issues and subsequent passing and I want to offer my condolences.
The information that I received from the instructors of MATH 111 and MATH 121 confirms that you failed both mid-term exams in December. Your instructors have also suggested that you did not master the content needed to demonstrate the learning outcomes in them based on the work that you completed. As you were aware of the academic impacts from extenuating circumstances on these courses prior to the 2023 Winter term drop deadline I cannot grant Credit Standing in them. I will however allow you to drop CISC 121 (W23) after the academic deadline as I acknowledge that this course was impacted by the unexpected passing of your uncle. Your grade in this course will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript.
Going forward, 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 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 (queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: May 13, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Safwan Bin Sadek
Student Email: 22sbs1@queensu.ca
Course: MATH 121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Ping Li
Course: MATH 111
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Peter Taylor
Dear Safwan:
I have carefully considered your petition request for Credit Standing in MATH 111 and MATH 121 (FW22/23). 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. 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 the information that I received from your instructor related to your grades in these courses.
I understand that you arrived late to Queen’s University for the 2022 Fall term, and I acknowledge the mental health struggles that you faced while adjusting to living on campus. I am also sorry to hear about your uncle’s health issues and subsequent passing and I want to offer my condolences.
The information that I received from the instructors of MATH 111 and MATH 121 confirms that you failed both mid-term exams in December. Your instructors have also suggested that you did not master the content needed to demonstrate the learning outcomes in them based on the work that you completed. As you were aware of the academic impacts from extenuating circumstances on these courses prior to the 2023 Winter term drop deadline I cannot grant Credit Standing in them. I will however allow you to drop CISC 121 (W23) after the academic deadline as I acknowledge that this course was impacted by the unexpected passing of your uncle. Your grade in this course will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript.
Going forward, 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 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 (queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated May 13, 2024 at 10:24:10 AM.