Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13422
Decision Date: August 6, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: SImon Doncaster
Student Email: 24hk@queensu.ca
Course: CISC 121
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 102
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 151
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Simon Doncaster,
I have carefully considered your request to waive the petition deadline related to the Faculty ruling that you be Required to Withdraw for One Year and to drop CISC 121 (F24), CISC 102, PHIL 151 (W25), and MATH 121 (FW24/25) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to allow the late drops of CISC 102, PHIL 151 (W25), and MATH 121 (FW24/25) which will remove the Faculty ruling that you be Required to Withdraw for One Year. You may now resume your studies at Queen's University.
I have granted this request in recognition of how the PSAC Local 901 strike and labor disruption affected your courses during the 2025 Winter term. Your grades will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. Going forward, please remember that it is every student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes prior to the drop deadline of the term. If you have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course by the 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.
Regarding your request to drop CISC 121 (F24), I have denied this part of your request as your petition did not include documentation that speaks to this term. While I understand that you did experience a difficult transition from high school, with the absence of documentation to provide evidence of an extenuating circumstance that impacted your academic performance during the 2024 Fall term, I am not able to grant this request. If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, I suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. If you repeat a course with the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript, but only the higher grade will be included in the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
As you continue in your course of study, I strongly suggest that you consider taking no more than 9.0 units per term for the upcoming academic year while you continue to adjust to university. It is also your responsibility to take steps for the successful completion of your program and 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 in a future year.
· 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 meet with an Academic Advisor online at queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/student-services/academic-advising. Academic advising may also be available through the Department of the Plan that you are pursuing. · 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.
If you wish to appeal this decision about the late drop of CISC 121 (F24), 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 wish you success in your studies next year.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: August 6, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: SImon Doncaster
Student Email: 24hk@queensu.ca
Course: CISC 121
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: CISC 102
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHIL 151
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: MATH 121
Term: Fall/Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Simon Doncaster,
I have carefully considered your request to waive the petition deadline related to the Faculty ruling that you be Required to Withdraw for One Year and to drop CISC 121 (F24), CISC 102, PHIL 151 (W25), and MATH 121 (FW24/25) after the academic deadline. After reviewing your file, I have decided to allow the late drops of CISC 102, PHIL 151 (W25), and MATH 121 (FW24/25) which will remove the Faculty ruling that you be Required to Withdraw for One Year. You may now resume your studies at Queen's University.
I have granted this request in recognition of how the PSAC Local 901 strike and labor disruption affected your courses during the 2025 Winter term. Your grades will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript. Going forward, please remember that it is every student’s responsibility to pause and evaluate the impact of extenuating circumstances on their classes prior to the drop deadline of the term. If you have fallen behind in a course or find the material too difficult, you should drop the course by the 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.
Regarding your request to drop CISC 121 (F24), I have denied this part of your request as your petition did not include documentation that speaks to this term. While I understand that you did experience a difficult transition from high school, with the absence of documentation to provide evidence of an extenuating circumstance that impacted your academic performance during the 2024 Fall term, I am not able to grant this request. If you are concerned with the impact that this course has on your GPA, I suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. If you repeat a course with the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript, but only the higher grade will be included in the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
As you continue in your course of study, I strongly suggest that you consider taking no more than 9.0 units per term for the upcoming academic year while you continue to adjust to university. It is also your responsibility to take steps for the successful completion of your program and 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 in a future year.
· 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 meet with an Academic Advisor online at queensu.ca/artsci/undergrad-students/student-services/academic-advising. Academic advising may also be available through the Department of the Plan that you are pursuing. · 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.
If you wish to appeal this decision about the late drop of CISC 121 (F24), 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 wish you success in your studies next year.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated August 6, 2025 at 2:07:46 PM.