Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13588
Decision Date: October 23, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Yikai Zhou
Student Email: 21yz191@queensu.ca
Course: STAT 263
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Tyler Meadows
Course: CISC 422
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Juergen Dingel
Course: FILM 240
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Phillipe Gauthier
Dear Ryan:
I have carefully considered your petition request to add CISC 422, FILM 240 and STAT 263 (F24) after the academic deadline and while I’m unable to grant your petition, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
As you know, courses must be added on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The deadlines for adding courses have been designed and established to provide sufficient time for students to obtain the relevant permission, determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload.
I acknowledge that you require 3.0 units from either CISC 422, CISC 455 or CISC 465 for your degree plan and that you wanted to add CISC 422, an elective course (FILM 240) and repeat STAT 263 during the Fall term. I also recognize the efforts you made in seeking support for enrolment in some of these courses.
That said, Fall term course enrollment began in July, and I note that you were able to enroll in other courses prior to the September 15 add deadline however I don’t see any attempts to enroll in these three courses prior to the deadline within your SOLUS history. I want you to understand that starting a course in week 6 of a 12-week term places a student at a great disadvantage and structurally inhibits their chance at success. Instructors are not obligated to accommodate a student for missed work resulting from late enrollment, and the academic deadlines are in place to ensure fairness and clarity for all students.
As your petition did not demonstrate that an extenuating circumstance beyond your control impacted your ability to enroll in these three courses before the last date to add Fall term courses, I cannot grant your request.
Going forward, I suggest that you meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss your remaining degree requirements and to create an Academic Plan moving forward.
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 the best in navigating your next steps.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academics)
Decision Date: October 23, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Yikai Zhou
Student Email: 21yz191@queensu.ca
Course: STAT 263
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Tyler Meadows
Course: CISC 422
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Juergen Dingel
Course: FILM 240
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Add a course after the academic deadline
Instructor: Phillipe Gauthier
Dear Ryan:
I have carefully considered your petition request to add CISC 422, FILM 240 and STAT 263 (F24) after the academic deadline and while I’m unable to grant your petition, I want to assure you that I’ve taken your circumstances into account as part of this decision.
As you know, courses must be added on SOLUS within the published deadlines. The deadlines for adding courses have been designed and established to provide sufficient time for students to obtain the relevant permission, determine their interest in the course material, to consider their ability to handle each course, and to evaluate their overall workload.
I acknowledge that you require 3.0 units from either CISC 422, CISC 455 or CISC 465 for your degree plan and that you wanted to add CISC 422, an elective course (FILM 240) and repeat STAT 263 during the Fall term. I also recognize the efforts you made in seeking support for enrolment in some of these courses.
That said, Fall term course enrollment began in July, and I note that you were able to enroll in other courses prior to the September 15 add deadline however I don’t see any attempts to enroll in these three courses prior to the deadline within your SOLUS history. I want you to understand that starting a course in week 6 of a 12-week term places a student at a great disadvantage and structurally inhibits their chance at success. Instructors are not obligated to accommodate a student for missed work resulting from late enrollment, and the academic deadlines are in place to ensure fairness and clarity for all students.
As your petition did not demonstrate that an extenuating circumstance beyond your control impacted your ability to enroll in these three courses before the last date to add Fall term courses, I cannot grant your request.
Going forward, I suggest that you meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss your remaining degree requirements and to create an Academic Plan moving forward.
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 the best in navigating your next steps.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academics)
Generated October 23, 2025 at 1:08:50 PM.