Decision Letter
Submission Number: 12089
Decision Date: August 19, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Mercy Doan
Student Email: 19mtmd@queensu.ca
Course: STAT 463
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mercy Doan:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop STAT 463 (F23) 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 Petitions and Appeal Regulations 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 additional information that you supplied by email dated July 13, your academic transcript, your Academic Consideration requests from the 2023 Fall term, and the documentation that you supplied.
I recognize that the documentation that you supplied dated November 8, 2023, confirms academic impacts of extenuating circumstances and that medication may exacerbate your condition. I acknowledge from your petition letter that you missed two exams in STAT 463. I understand from the email that you sent dated July 13 that you chose to remain enrolled in this course after missing the midterm as you expected to complete the final exam which was worth 70% of your final grade.
Mercy, I have denied this request as I see that you received Academic Consideration for both of the missed exams in this course. I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to follow up with their instructors to discuss Academic Consideration options available to them. As I see that you were able to complete assignments in other 2023 Fall term courses and it is unclear why you didn’t write a deferred final exam in STAT 463, I cannot grant this request.
Going forward I want you to know that Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as Academic Consideration or accommodations through QSAS.
If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your cumulative 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 but only the higher attempt will be included within the calculation of your 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: August 19, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Mercy Doan
Student Email: 19mtmd@queensu.ca
Course: STAT 463
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Mercy Doan:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop STAT 463 (F23) 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 Petitions and Appeal Regulations 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 additional information that you supplied by email dated July 13, your academic transcript, your Academic Consideration requests from the 2023 Fall term, and the documentation that you supplied.
I recognize that the documentation that you supplied dated November 8, 2023, confirms academic impacts of extenuating circumstances and that medication may exacerbate your condition. I acknowledge from your petition letter that you missed two exams in STAT 463. I understand from the email that you sent dated July 13 that you chose to remain enrolled in this course after missing the midterm as you expected to complete the final exam which was worth 70% of your final grade.
Mercy, I have denied this request as I see that you received Academic Consideration for both of the missed exams in this course. I want to remind you that it is the student’s responsibility to follow up with their instructors to discuss Academic Consideration options available to them. As I see that you were able to complete assignments in other 2023 Fall term courses and it is unclear why you didn’t write a deferred final exam in STAT 463, I cannot grant this request.
Going forward I want you to know that Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as Academic Consideration or accommodations through QSAS.
If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your cumulative 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 but only the higher attempt will be included within the calculation of your 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 August 19, 2024 at 8:58:45 AM.