Decision Letter
Submission Number: 12910
Decision Date: May 12, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Ashley Hart
Student Email: 19ah31@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS240
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC241
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS280
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MUSC171
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS250
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: HLTH332
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: IDIS373
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ashley Hart:
Thank you for your petition request to drop MUSC 171, DEVS 250, HLTH 332 and IDIS 373 (S24), DEVS 240, PSYC 241, DEVS 280 (F24) past the academic deadline. I have carefully reviewed your petition and while I’m unable to grant your request, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
As you know, courses must be dropped in SOLUS within the deadlines outlined in the academic calendar. According to the Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1, petitions and appeals are typically considered only when there are significant extenuating circumstances that justify waiving 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 acknowledge the circumstances that you described within your petition letter and I appreciate the family-related commitments that you are actively managing while taking classes. I have however, denied this request as the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic circumstance. I want to remind you of your previous two petition requests where you were granted late drops of courses taken during prior terms for similar extenuating circumstances. Within those decision letters you were reminded of the importance of managing your courseload appropriately prior to the drop deadline.
Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). It is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes prior to the drop deadline of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by the deadline. 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 about the impact that these courses have 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 this decision, you are welcome to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies. 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.
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.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: May 12, 2025
Associate Dean: Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Student Name: Ashley Hart
Student Email: 19ah31@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS240
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PSYC241
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS280
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MUSC171
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS250
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: HLTH332
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: IDIS373
Term: Summer
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ashley Hart:
Thank you for your petition request to drop MUSC 171, DEVS 250, HLTH 332 and IDIS 373 (S24), DEVS 240, PSYC 241, DEVS 280 (F24) past the academic deadline. I have carefully reviewed your petition and while I’m unable to grant your request, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
As you know, courses must be dropped in SOLUS within the deadlines outlined in the academic calendar. According to the Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1, petitions and appeals are typically considered only when there are significant extenuating circumstances that justify waiving 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 acknowledge the circumstances that you described within your petition letter and I appreciate the family-related commitments that you are actively managing while taking classes. I have however, denied this request as the petition process is not meant to be used to manage a chronic circumstance. I want to remind you of your previous two petition requests where you were granted late drops of courses taken during prior terms for similar extenuating circumstances. Within those decision letters you were reminded of the importance of managing your courseload appropriately prior to the drop deadline.
Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively by utilizing options such as academic consideration or accommodations through Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). It is the student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes prior to the drop deadline of the term. If they have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, they should drop the course by the deadline. 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 about the impact that these courses have 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 this decision, you are welcome to submit an appeal to the Board of Studies. 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.
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.
Sincerely,
Jenn Stephenson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated May 12, 2025 at 2:30:46 PM.