Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11786
Decision Date: May 21, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Yan Zhang
Student Email: 22bw56@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 100
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mikey:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop ANAT 100 (W24) past the academic deadline. 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 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. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional. Official documentation must clearly indicate ways in which the extenuating circumstances directly affected the student’s performance in terms of timing and impact and should verify that these effects were substantial enough to cause the academic problem.
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 the instructor of ANAT 100 related to your grades in this course.
I recognize that you dropped another course prior to the 2024 Winter term academic drop deadline, and I acknowledge that you thought that you dropped this course as well. Please know that it is the student’s responsibility to check their schedule in SOLUS to ensure that they are not enrolled in courses that they do not intend to complete.
Your petition letter suggests that you decided to drop ANAT 100 on January 19 however the instructor of this course has confirmed that you participated in it up until February 16 when you completed a Lab Practical worth 10%. I also don’t see any attempts in your SOLUS account to drop this course until after the academic deadline had passed.
I have denied this request as your petition did not demonstrate extenuating circumstances beyond your control that impacted your academic ability in this course or prevented you from being able to drop it before the academic drop deadline.
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: May 21, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Yan Zhang
Student Email: 22bw56@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 100
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mikey:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop ANAT 100 (W24) past the academic deadline. 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 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. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional. Official documentation must clearly indicate ways in which the extenuating circumstances directly affected the student’s performance in terms of timing and impact and should verify that these effects were substantial enough to cause the academic problem.
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 the instructor of ANAT 100 related to your grades in this course.
I recognize that you dropped another course prior to the 2024 Winter term academic drop deadline, and I acknowledge that you thought that you dropped this course as well. Please know that it is the student’s responsibility to check their schedule in SOLUS to ensure that they are not enrolled in courses that they do not intend to complete.
Your petition letter suggests that you decided to drop ANAT 100 on January 19 however the instructor of this course has confirmed that you participated in it up until February 16 when you completed a Lab Practical worth 10%. I also don’t see any attempts in your SOLUS account to drop this course until after the academic deadline had passed.
I have denied this request as your petition did not demonstrate extenuating circumstances beyond your control that impacted your academic ability in this course or prevented you from being able to drop it before the academic drop deadline.
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 May 21, 2024 at 9:49:51 AM.