Decision Letter
Submission Number: 12178
Decision Date: October 15, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Songyeon Kim
Student Email: 21sk214@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 215
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: GLPH 271
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: BCHM 218
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Laura van Staalduinen
Course: MICR 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Christopher T Lohans and Bruce W Banfield
Course: CHEM 281
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Course: CHEM 282
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Dear Songyeon Kim:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop ANAT 215 (F23) and GLPH 271 (W24) past the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (F23), BCHM 218, CHEM 282 and MICR 221 (W24). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To grant your request to drop ANAT 215 (F23) and GLPH 271 (W24) past the academic deadline due to the academic impacts of extenuating circumstances as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript.
Going forward, I suggest that you register with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) each term so that you obtain ongoing support from an Accessibility Advisor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
To deny your request for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (F23), BCHM 218, CHEM 282 and MICR 221 (W24). The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1 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 your individual grades as provided by the instructors of these courses.
Songyeon, I acknowledge the health-related extenuating circumstances that you experienced during the 2023/2024 academic year and was glad to read that you have received support for these circumstances.
I have denied your request for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (F23), BCHM 218 and CHEM 282 (W24) as the timeline of your lower grades in these courses do not appear to correlate with the timeline of the extenuating circumstances that you reported within your petition letter. The instructors of these courses have confirmed that your low grades stem from timed assessments and final exams and I see that you were able to achieve higher grades in some components throughout the terms despite the ongoing impacts of your health-related circumstances.
I have denied your request for Credit Standing in MICR 221 (W24) as the instructor of this course confirmed that you were achieving low grades in this course since the beginning of the term as you failed the first two components in it. 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. As you were aware of the impacts of extenuating circumstances on this course prior to the academic deadline drop deadline and chose to remain enrolled in it, I cannot grant this request.
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 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: October 15, 2024
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Songyeon Kim
Student Email: 21sk214@queensu.ca
Course: ANAT 215
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: GLPH 271
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: BCHM 218
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Laura van Staalduinen
Course: MICR 221
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: Christopher T Lohans and Bruce W Banfield
Course: CHEM 281
Term: Fall
Year: 2023
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Course: CHEM 282
Term: Winter
Year: 2024
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Dear Songyeon Kim:
I have carefully considered your petition request to drop ANAT 215 (F23) and GLPH 271 (W24) past the academic deadline and for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (F23), BCHM 218, CHEM 282 and MICR 221 (W24). After reviewing your file, I have decided the following:
To grant your request to drop ANAT 215 (F23) and GLPH 271 (W24) past the academic deadline due to the academic impacts of extenuating circumstances as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript.
Going forward, I suggest that you register with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) each term so that you obtain ongoing support from an Accessibility Advisor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
To deny your request for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (F23), BCHM 218, CHEM 282 and MICR 221 (W24). The Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1 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 your individual grades as provided by the instructors of these courses.
Songyeon, I acknowledge the health-related extenuating circumstances that you experienced during the 2023/2024 academic year and was glad to read that you have received support for these circumstances.
I have denied your request for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (F23), BCHM 218 and CHEM 282 (W24) as the timeline of your lower grades in these courses do not appear to correlate with the timeline of the extenuating circumstances that you reported within your petition letter. The instructors of these courses have confirmed that your low grades stem from timed assessments and final exams and I see that you were able to achieve higher grades in some components throughout the terms despite the ongoing impacts of your health-related circumstances.
I have denied your request for Credit Standing in MICR 221 (W24) as the instructor of this course confirmed that you were achieving low grades in this course since the beginning of the term as you failed the first two components in it. 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. As you were aware of the impacts of extenuating circumstances on this course prior to the academic deadline drop deadline and chose to remain enrolled in it, I cannot grant this request.
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 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 October 15, 2024 at 11:11:48 AM.