Decision Letter
Submission Number: 12827
Decision Date: March 31, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Tabitha Vautour-Cator
Student Email: 19tkvc@queensu.ca
Dear Tabitha:
Thank you for your petition request to Waive a Petition Deadline related to the 2020/2021 academic year and the 2023 Winter term. I have carefully reviewed your petition and while I’m unable to grant all of these requests, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
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. An appeal of this type should include a presentation of the specific reasons for the delay and must include documents that support the reasons for this delay.
I will waive the petition deadline related to the 2023 Winter term and will allow Credit Standing in BIOL 350 and PHGY 170 (W23) as the documentation that you supplied confirms severe academic impacts during this term. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a CR notation on your transcript.
Regarding your request to waive the petition deadline related to the 2020/2021 academic year, students can petition courses within 1-year of a term ending and these academic options are outlined within the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar. I want to remind you of your previous petition request that you submitted on November 22, 2021 related to dropping courses from the 2021 Fall term. As you were able to submit a different petition request within 1-year of the 2020 Fall and 2021 Winter terms ending and this petition request did not demonstrate an extenuating circumstance preventing you from requesting Credit Standing within that deadline, I cannot grant your request.
Going forward, if you are concerned about 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 this decision, information on the appeal process and deadlines is available at queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals (click on Second Level). The Office of the University Ombudsperson offers guidance on student rights and procedural fairness at queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness, and they are also available to support you at queensu.ca/ombuds.
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen’s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
I hope that you continue to seek out the support and resources available to you, and I wish you the best in navigating your next steps.
Warm regards,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: March 31, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Tabitha Vautour-Cator
Student Email: 19tkvc@queensu.ca
Dear Tabitha:
Thank you for your petition request to Waive a Petition Deadline related to the 2020/2021 academic year and the 2023 Winter term. I have carefully reviewed your petition and while I’m unable to grant all of these requests, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
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. An appeal of this type should include a presentation of the specific reasons for the delay and must include documents that support the reasons for this delay.
I will waive the petition deadline related to the 2023 Winter term and will allow Credit Standing in BIOL 350 and PHGY 170 (W23) as the documentation that you supplied confirms severe academic impacts during this term. Your grades in these courses will be replaced with a CR notation on your transcript.
Regarding your request to waive the petition deadline related to the 2020/2021 academic year, students can petition courses within 1-year of a term ending and these academic options are outlined within the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar. I want to remind you of your previous petition request that you submitted on November 22, 2021 related to dropping courses from the 2021 Fall term. As you were able to submit a different petition request within 1-year of the 2020 Fall and 2021 Winter terms ending and this petition request did not demonstrate an extenuating circumstance preventing you from requesting Credit Standing within that deadline, I cannot grant your request.
Going forward, if you are concerned about 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 this decision, information on the appeal process and deadlines is available at queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals (click on Second Level). The Office of the University Ombudsperson offers guidance on student rights and procedural fairness at queensu.ca/ombuds/appeal-process/procedural-fairness, and they are also available to support you at queensu.ca/ombuds.
Student Academic Appeals Policy (SAAP) or Rules of Procedure for USAB are Queen’s university Senate approved appeal policies. In the event that an inconsistency arises between these policies and Arts & Science regulations, SAAP and USAB will supersede.
I hope that you continue to seek out the support and resources available to you, and I wish you the best in navigating your next steps.
Warm regards,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated March 31, 2025 at 4:54:58 PM.