Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13333
Decision Date: July 7, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Ashley Hart
Student Email: 19ah31@queensu.ca
Course: .
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: .
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ashley Hart:
I have carefully considered your request to waive the Faculty ruling that you be "Required to Withdraw for One Year." After reviewing your file, I have decided to grant your request. You may now resume your studies at Queen's University.
I acknowledge the extenuating circumstances that you have experienced during your time at Queen’s University and I understand the severity of these challenges. I want to commend your perseverance and ability to navigate such significant difficulties while raising children.
While I appreciate the documentation that you supplied to confirm the severity of your circumstances, I want you to know that this was a lenient decision.
A requirement to withdraw is invoked when students experience ongoing or extreme academic difficulties. The ruling is not a punishment; rather, it is intended to provide the student with time away from the university to reflect on and remedy the factors impeding their academic success. The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.7.1.8. states that a petition requesting that a requirement to withdraw be waived must clearly demonstrate how significantly extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s control, affected their academic performance. In cases where the extenuating circumstances were temporary, the student should indicate and document how the circumstances have been overcome and why the student is confident that they will not continue to affect the student’s academic performance. In cases where the extenuating circumstances are ongoing rather than temporary, the student should also indicate and document how these personal challenges will be managed if the requirement to withdraw is waived.
Your petition did not include documentation demonstrating that your academic performance was directly impacted by these circumstances or that they prevented you from dropping your 2024 Fall or 2025 Winter term courses by the relevant deadlines. As outlined in prior petition decision letters, it is all students’ responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes before 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.
Given these considerations, I have made the decision to place you on part-time status. I recognize that along with electives, you still require 9.0 units of PSYC courses for your General degree Plan and I want to allow you the opportunity to complete these specific courses during the 2025/2026 academic year while they are still available through Arts and Science Online.
Note that as a part-time student you will be allowed a maximum of 18.0 units in the Fall-Winter session with no more than 9.0 units per term. In order to be eligible to progress from part-time to full-time studies, you must fulfill the following conditions:
1. Completed a minimum of 24.0 Queen’s units, excluding repeated courses and courses for which credit standing or aegrotat standing has been assigned, from the time at which they were admitted part-time on a degree program or at which they were placed on part-time status; and
2. Achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.90;
OR
1. Completed a minimum of 18.0 Queen’s units, excluding repeated courses and courses for which credit standing or aegrotat standing has been assigned, from the time at which they were admitted part-time on a degree program or at which they were placed on part-time status; and
2. Achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.90.
It is my hope that the slower pace of part-time study will enable you to be more successful in your future courses. See Admission Regulation 11.5.2 in the Academic Calendar for more information on the transition from part-time to full-time study.
Upon your return, I hope that you will take advantage of the support services available to you at Queen's. It will be your responsibility to take steps for the successful completion of your program and to maintain a GPA consistent with the requirements of your plan. These are some strategies that I strongly encourage you to consider:
· Choose courses carefully. As you know, achieving a higher grade in a repeated course will improve your GPA. This course of action will help to ensure you will be in good academic standing and not at risk of being required to withdraw for three years.
· Reflect on your program choice. Are you in the right plan for your interests and aptitudes? Your Academic Advisement Report in SOLUS will allow you to see your remaining requirements and help you plan out future courses. You can read about the other program/plan options that may interest you in the Academic Calendar at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/schools-departments-programs/.
· Seek out the advice necessary to improve your academic performance. The Arts and Science Faculty Office is located in Dunning Hall (main floor). You can also book an appointment with an Academic Advisor online at queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/student-services/academic-advising. Academic advising may also be available through your Plan department. · Student Academic Success Services (SASS) sass.queensu.ca/ in Stauffer Library provides a range of services, including workshops designed to improve study skills and develop strategies for meeting the demands of academic life. · The Student Wellness Services Centre queensu.ca/studentwellness/ located in Mitchell Hall, is available to all Queen’s students. SWS offers counselling as well as individual consultation to aid in coping with difficulties of a more personal nature.
· Academic Consideration is a process for the university community to provide a compassionate response to assist students experiencing a short-term extenuating
circumstance. You can familiarize yourself with your consideration options at: queensu.ca/artsci/accommodations.
Additionally, 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 success for the upcoming academic year.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: July 7, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Ashley Hart
Student Email: 19ah31@queensu.ca
Course: .
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: .
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Ashley Hart:
I have carefully considered your request to waive the Faculty ruling that you be "Required to Withdraw for One Year." After reviewing your file, I have decided to grant your request. You may now resume your studies at Queen's University.
I acknowledge the extenuating circumstances that you have experienced during your time at Queen’s University and I understand the severity of these challenges. I want to commend your perseverance and ability to navigate such significant difficulties while raising children.
While I appreciate the documentation that you supplied to confirm the severity of your circumstances, I want you to know that this was a lenient decision.
A requirement to withdraw is invoked when students experience ongoing or extreme academic difficulties. The ruling is not a punishment; rather, it is intended to provide the student with time away from the university to reflect on and remedy the factors impeding their academic success. The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.7.1.8. states that a petition requesting that a requirement to withdraw be waived must clearly demonstrate how significantly extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s control, affected their academic performance. In cases where the extenuating circumstances were temporary, the student should indicate and document how the circumstances have been overcome and why the student is confident that they will not continue to affect the student’s academic performance. In cases where the extenuating circumstances are ongoing rather than temporary, the student should also indicate and document how these personal challenges will be managed if the requirement to withdraw is waived.
Your petition did not include documentation demonstrating that your academic performance was directly impacted by these circumstances or that they prevented you from dropping your 2024 Fall or 2025 Winter term courses by the relevant deadlines. As outlined in prior petition decision letters, it is all students’ responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes before 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.
Given these considerations, I have made the decision to place you on part-time status. I recognize that along with electives, you still require 9.0 units of PSYC courses for your General degree Plan and I want to allow you the opportunity to complete these specific courses during the 2025/2026 academic year while they are still available through Arts and Science Online.
Note that as a part-time student you will be allowed a maximum of 18.0 units in the Fall-Winter session with no more than 9.0 units per term. In order to be eligible to progress from part-time to full-time studies, you must fulfill the following conditions:
1. Completed a minimum of 24.0 Queen’s units, excluding repeated courses and courses for which credit standing or aegrotat standing has been assigned, from the time at which they were admitted part-time on a degree program or at which they were placed on part-time status; and
2. Achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.90;
OR
1. Completed a minimum of 18.0 Queen’s units, excluding repeated courses and courses for which credit standing or aegrotat standing has been assigned, from the time at which they were admitted part-time on a degree program or at which they were placed on part-time status; and
2. Achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.90.
It is my hope that the slower pace of part-time study will enable you to be more successful in your future courses. See Admission Regulation 11.5.2 in the Academic Calendar for more information on the transition from part-time to full-time study.
Upon your return, I hope that you will take advantage of the support services available to you at Queen's. It will be your responsibility to take steps for the successful completion of your program and to maintain a GPA consistent with the requirements of your plan. These are some strategies that I strongly encourage you to consider:
· Choose courses carefully. As you know, achieving a higher grade in a repeated course will improve your GPA. This course of action will help to ensure you will be in good academic standing and not at risk of being required to withdraw for three years.
· Reflect on your program choice. Are you in the right plan for your interests and aptitudes? Your Academic Advisement Report in SOLUS will allow you to see your remaining requirements and help you plan out future courses. You can read about the other program/plan options that may interest you in the Academic Calendar at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/schools-departments-programs/.
· Seek out the advice necessary to improve your academic performance. The Arts and Science Faculty Office is located in Dunning Hall (main floor). You can also book an appointment with an Academic Advisor online at queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/student-services/academic-advising. Academic advising may also be available through your Plan department. · Student Academic Success Services (SASS) sass.queensu.ca/ in Stauffer Library provides a range of services, including workshops designed to improve study skills and develop strategies for meeting the demands of academic life. · The Student Wellness Services Centre queensu.ca/studentwellness/ located in Mitchell Hall, is available to all Queen’s students. SWS offers counselling as well as individual consultation to aid in coping with difficulties of a more personal nature.
· Academic Consideration is a process for the university community to provide a compassionate response to assist students experiencing a short-term extenuating
circumstance. You can familiarize yourself with your consideration options at: queensu.ca/artsci/accommodations.
Additionally, 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 success for the upcoming academic year.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated July 7, 2025 at 4:16:32 PM.