Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13126
Decision Date: July 16, 2025
Associate Dean: Scott-Morgan Straker (Acting Associate Dean)
Student Name: Elaha Kaukab
Student Email: 18ek16@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: devs 364
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Elaha:
Thank you for your petition request to drop DEVS 101 and DEVS 364 (W25) 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 your circumstances were considered thoughtfully and with care as part of the decision-making process.
As outlined in the Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1, petitions are only granted in cases where extenuating circumstances significantly impaired a student’s ability to meet academic responsibilities, and where these impacts can be clearly supported by documentation. The regulations also emphasize the importance of demonstrating how these circumstances directly prevented the student from taking academic actions within established timelines, such as dropping a course by the published deadline.
I acknowledge the pregnancy-related symptoms that you experienced during the 2025 Winter term, as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied dated January 17; I’m sorry you had to go through what must have been a very distressing experience. I too am a parent, so I also recognize that caring for young children can be challenging, especially while experiencing health-related complications. However, after a thorough review, I must conclude that your petition does not include sufficient documentation to meet the standard required to waive the petitions and appeals regulation 1.7.1.2. – to drop a class after the last official date for dropping classes. Specifically, it does not include documentation to confirm any academic impacts from the circumstances that you describe in your petition letter, or that an unexpected extenuating circumstance prevented you from dropping these courses by the drop deadline. The petitions and appeals process at Queen’s is document-based, meaning that all petitions must be supported by documents that clearly support the circumstances prompting the petition; in your case, a successful petition would have to be supported by documentation establishing that you could not drop these two courses by the published deadline.
Short-term, unexpected extenuating circumstances should be managed with Academic Consideration: a student can request consideration if they need more time to complete a component or had to miss a class as a result of an illness or other personal circumstance. Here is the link for information about that process: https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/student-services/academic-consideration-for-students
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 are concerned about the impact that these courses have on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them in a future term. If you repeat the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript, but 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,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Associate Dean (Acting)
Decision Date: July 16, 2025
Associate Dean: Scott-Morgan Straker (Acting Associate Dean)
Student Name: Elaha Kaukab
Student Email: 18ek16@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS 101
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: devs 364
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Elaha:
Thank you for your petition request to drop DEVS 101 and DEVS 364 (W25) 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 your circumstances were considered thoughtfully and with care as part of the decision-making process.
As outlined in the Academic Petitions and Appeal Regulations 1.1, petitions are only granted in cases where extenuating circumstances significantly impaired a student’s ability to meet academic responsibilities, and where these impacts can be clearly supported by documentation. The regulations also emphasize the importance of demonstrating how these circumstances directly prevented the student from taking academic actions within established timelines, such as dropping a course by the published deadline.
I acknowledge the pregnancy-related symptoms that you experienced during the 2025 Winter term, as confirmed within the documentation that you supplied dated January 17; I’m sorry you had to go through what must have been a very distressing experience. I too am a parent, so I also recognize that caring for young children can be challenging, especially while experiencing health-related complications. However, after a thorough review, I must conclude that your petition does not include sufficient documentation to meet the standard required to waive the petitions and appeals regulation 1.7.1.2. – to drop a class after the last official date for dropping classes. Specifically, it does not include documentation to confirm any academic impacts from the circumstances that you describe in your petition letter, or that an unexpected extenuating circumstance prevented you from dropping these courses by the drop deadline. The petitions and appeals process at Queen’s is document-based, meaning that all petitions must be supported by documents that clearly support the circumstances prompting the petition; in your case, a successful petition would have to be supported by documentation establishing that you could not drop these two courses by the published deadline.
Short-term, unexpected extenuating circumstances should be managed with Academic Consideration: a student can request consideration if they need more time to complete a component or had to miss a class as a result of an illness or other personal circumstance. Here is the link for information about that process: https://www.queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/student-services/academic-consideration-for-students
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 are concerned about the impact that these courses have on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them in a future term. If you repeat the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript, but 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,
Scott-Morgan Straker
Associate Dean (Acting)
Generated July 16, 2025 at 9:25:55 AM.