Decision Letter
Submission Number: 11823
Decision Date: October 3, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Hannah Hutchinson
Student Email: 18hhh2@queensu.ca
Course: CLST 201
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: ENGL 431
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 332
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Hannah Hutchinson:
I have carefully considered your request to waive the Petition Deadline related to the 2022 Fall and 2023 Winter terms and your request to drop CLST 201, ENGL 431 (F23), and PHIL 332 (W24). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To deny your request to waive the petition deadline related to the 2022 Fall and 2023 Winter terms. The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 3.7.2 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that exceptions to the petition and appeal deadlines can only be granted in cases where extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control render the student unable to submit a petition or appeal within the specified timeline. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented the student from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the appeal was eventually initiated. 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 acknowledge the health-related extenuating circumstances that you reported within your petition letter and I was glad to read that you had connected with Student Wellness Services for professional support. I have denied this part of your request as your petition did not demonstrate why you couldn’t petition these courses within the 1-year deadline. Hannah, I see that you continued to enroll in new courses during the subsequent 2023 Fall and 2024 Winter term which shows that you were able to make academic decisions at that time.
To grant your request to drop CLST 201 and ENGL 431 (F23) due to the timeline of extenuating circumstances as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied dated December 6, 2023. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. I will also allow you to drop ENGL 422 (F23) as I recognize that your academic ability in this course was also impacted by extenuating circumstances. If you would like to accept this offer, please email asc.petitions@queensu.ca within 10 days of receiving this decision letter.
To deny your request to drop PHIL 332 (W24) as the documentation that you supplied suggests that extenuating circumstances began to impact your academic ability prior to the start of the 2024 Winter term. As the documentation suggests that you were aware of the academic impacts of extenuating circumstances prior to the Winter term drop deadline I cannot grant this part of your request. I want to let you know that the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through QSAS. 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 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 as well as guidance on policy and procedure (queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: October 3, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Hannah Hutchinson
Student Email: 18hhh2@queensu.ca
Course: CLST 201
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: ENGL 431
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 332
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Hannah Hutchinson:
I have carefully considered your request to waive the Petition Deadline related to the 2022 Fall and 2023 Winter terms and your request to drop CLST 201, ENGL 431 (F23), and PHIL 332 (W24). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To deny your request to waive the petition deadline related to the 2022 Fall and 2023 Winter terms. The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 3.7.2 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that exceptions to the petition and appeal deadlines can only be granted in cases where extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control render the student unable to submit a petition or appeal within the specified timeline. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented the student from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the appeal was eventually initiated. 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 acknowledge the health-related extenuating circumstances that you reported within your petition letter and I was glad to read that you had connected with Student Wellness Services for professional support. I have denied this part of your request as your petition did not demonstrate why you couldn’t petition these courses within the 1-year deadline. Hannah, I see that you continued to enroll in new courses during the subsequent 2023 Fall and 2024 Winter term which shows that you were able to make academic decisions at that time.
To grant your request to drop CLST 201 and ENGL 431 (F23) due to the timeline of extenuating circumstances as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied dated December 6, 2023. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. I will also allow you to drop ENGL 422 (F23) as I recognize that your academic ability in this course was also impacted by extenuating circumstances. If you would like to accept this offer, please email asc.petitions@queensu.ca within 10 days of receiving this decision letter.
To deny your request to drop PHIL 332 (W24) as the documentation that you supplied suggests that extenuating circumstances began to impact your academic ability prior to the start of the 2024 Winter term. As the documentation suggests that you were aware of the academic impacts of extenuating circumstances prior to the Winter term drop deadline I cannot grant this part of your request. I want to let you know that the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic condition. Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through QSAS. 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 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 as well as guidance on policy and procedure (queensu.ca/ombuds).
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated October 3, 2024 at 10:03:51 AM.