Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13052
Decision Date: July 16, 2025
Associate Dean: Scott-Morgan Straker (Acting Associate Dean)
Student Name: Mohanad Yafeai
Student Email: 21my32@queensu.ca
Dear Mo Yafeai:
Thank you for your petition request to Waive a Petition Deadline related to the 2023 Winter term. I have carefully reviewed your petition, and while I’m unable to grant your request, I want to assure you that your circumstances were considered thoughtfully and with care as part of the decision-making process.
Students in the Faculty of Arts and Science must submit a petition to drop a course no later than one year after the end of the term in which the course was offered. Appeal Regulation 1.5.2 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stresses 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. Furthermore, the regulation states that a petition of this type should specify the reasons for the delay, and must include documents that support these reasons.
I acknowledge the difficulties that you faced during your first year at university, and I understand your concerns with how your grade in MATH 111 (W23) is affecting your cumulative GPA. I see that you attempted to repeat this course during the 2023/2024 academic year, but you dropped it prior to the deadline. I also recognize that this course is not currently being offered at Queen’s.
However, after a thorough review, I must conclude that your petition does not include sufficient documentation to meet the standard required to waive this regulation. Specifically, it does not demonstrate that an extenuating circumstance prevented you from submitting a petition within the 1-year time-frame.
I want to remind you that information about academic petitions and appeal options is available to students each year within the Academic Calendar (queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/) and on the Faculty of Arts and Science website (queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals). Academic Advisors are also available to help students facing difficulties to navigate their options.
Going forward, it is your responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on your coursework prior to the drop deadline of the term. If you fall behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course by deadline. 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.
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.
Sincerely,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Associate Dean (Acting)
Decision Date: July 16, 2025
Associate Dean: Scott-Morgan Straker (Acting Associate Dean)
Student Name: Mohanad Yafeai
Student Email: 21my32@queensu.ca
Dear Mo Yafeai:
Thank you for your petition request to Waive a Petition Deadline related to the 2023 Winter term. I have carefully reviewed your petition, and while I’m unable to grant your request, I want to assure you that your circumstances were considered thoughtfully and with care as part of the decision-making process.
Students in the Faculty of Arts and Science must submit a petition to drop a course no later than one year after the end of the term in which the course was offered. Appeal Regulation 1.5.2 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stresses 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. Furthermore, the regulation states that a petition of this type should specify the reasons for the delay, and must include documents that support these reasons.
I acknowledge the difficulties that you faced during your first year at university, and I understand your concerns with how your grade in MATH 111 (W23) is affecting your cumulative GPA. I see that you attempted to repeat this course during the 2023/2024 academic year, but you dropped it prior to the deadline. I also recognize that this course is not currently being offered at Queen’s.
However, after a thorough review, I must conclude that your petition does not include sufficient documentation to meet the standard required to waive this regulation. Specifically, it does not demonstrate that an extenuating circumstance prevented you from submitting a petition within the 1-year time-frame.
I want to remind you that information about academic petitions and appeal options is available to students each year within the Academic Calendar (queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/) and on the Faculty of Arts and Science website (queensu.ca/artsci/undergraduate/student-services/academic-petitions-and-appeals). Academic Advisors are also available to help students facing difficulties to navigate their options.
Going forward, it is your responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on your coursework prior to the drop deadline of the term. If you fall behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course by deadline. 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.
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.
Sincerely,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Associate Dean (Acting)
Generated July 16, 2025 at 9:21:44 AM.