Decision Letter
Submission Number: 12154
Decision Date: September 3, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Robel Kebede
Student Email: robel.kebede@queensu.ca
Course: HIST 448
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Robel Kebede:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop HIST 448 (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 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, your academic transcript and the documentation that you supplied.
I understand that you had been working a job during the 2024 Winter term and I was sorry to read that your workplace experienced staff shortages that increased your hours. I have denied this request as competing commitments, such as working a job while taking courses is not typically grounds for a petition. The documentation that you supplied suggests that you were accommodated with extra time on assignments, and I see that you were able to achieve high grades in other courses during the Winter term despite the impacts of these circumstances.
I want to remind you that 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 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: September 3, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Robel Kebede
Student Email: robel.kebede@queensu.ca
Course: HIST 448
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Robel Kebede:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop HIST 448 (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 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, your academic transcript and the documentation that you supplied.
I understand that you had been working a job during the 2024 Winter term and I was sorry to read that your workplace experienced staff shortages that increased your hours. I have denied this request as competing commitments, such as working a job while taking courses is not typically grounds for a petition. The documentation that you supplied suggests that you were accommodated with extra time on assignments, and I see that you were able to achieve high grades in other courses during the Winter term despite the impacts of these circumstances.
I want to remind you that 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 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 September 3, 2024 at 9:42:48 AM.