Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13436
Decision Date: August 18, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Abdisalam Musse
Student Email: abm121@gmail.com
Course: POLS 384
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 402
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY 428
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Abdi:
Thank you for your petition request to drop POLS 384, POLS 402 (F24) and SOCY 428 (W25) past the academic deadline. I have read your petition and supporting documentation carefully. I want to acknowledge, first and foremost, the seriousness of the circumstances you have faced this year. I understand that these challenges have been deeply impactful, and I do not take lightly the difficulty of your situation. 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.
I appreciate the documentation that you supplied confirming the challenges you experienced during the 2024/2025 academic year. While I do not doubt the sincerity or the severity of these circumstances, I note that you were able to complete POLS 362 (W25) with a strong grade despite these challenges.
The petition process is not meant to be used to manage chronic circumstances. I recognize that some of your previous petitions have been granted for similar situations, and as emphasized in those decision letters, the recommended approach for ongoing challenges is to manage them proactively by utilizing academic support such as academic consideration or accommodations through QSAS. Also, 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 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.
With the absence of documentation to demonstrate that these circumstances directly impacted your ability to drop POLS 384, POLS 402 (F24) and SOCY 428 (W25) before their respective deadlines I am unable to grant this request.
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 strongly encourage you to continue connecting with the resources available to you, including Student Wellness Services and an Academic Advisor, who can help you plan the remainder of your degree by exploring alternate degree plan options and help you navigate the next steps. I wish you strength and success as you move forward.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: August 18, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Abdisalam Musse
Student Email: abm121@gmail.com
Course: POLS 384
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: POLS 402
Term: Fall
Year: 2024
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: SOCY 428
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Abdi:
Thank you for your petition request to drop POLS 384, POLS 402 (F24) and SOCY 428 (W25) past the academic deadline. I have read your petition and supporting documentation carefully. I want to acknowledge, first and foremost, the seriousness of the circumstances you have faced this year. I understand that these challenges have been deeply impactful, and I do not take lightly the difficulty of your situation. 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.
I appreciate the documentation that you supplied confirming the challenges you experienced during the 2024/2025 academic year. While I do not doubt the sincerity or the severity of these circumstances, I note that you were able to complete POLS 362 (W25) with a strong grade despite these challenges.
The petition process is not meant to be used to manage chronic circumstances. I recognize that some of your previous petitions have been granted for similar situations, and as emphasized in those decision letters, the recommended approach for ongoing challenges is to manage them proactively by utilizing academic support such as academic consideration or accommodations through QSAS. Also, 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 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.
With the absence of documentation to demonstrate that these circumstances directly impacted your ability to drop POLS 384, POLS 402 (F24) and SOCY 428 (W25) before their respective deadlines I am unable to grant this request.
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 strongly encourage you to continue connecting with the resources available to you, including Student Wellness Services and an Academic Advisor, who can help you plan the remainder of your degree by exploring alternate degree plan options and help you navigate the next steps. I wish you strength and success as you move forward.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated August 18, 2025 at 9:09:25 AM.