Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13686
Decision Date: December 2, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Nikita Boyd
Student Email: 21nab23@queensu.ca
Dear Nikita:
Thank you for your petition request to waive the petition deadline related to the late drop of courses from the 2022 fall term. I have carefully reviewed your request 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.
The deadline to request Credit standing in a course is one year from the time the course has taken place. Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.5.2 stress that exceptions to the petition 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. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented them from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the petition was eventually initiated. A petition of this type should include a presentation of the reasons for the delay and must include documents that support the reasons for this delay.
While I remain sympathetic to the circumstances you experienced in Fall 2022 as detailed in the letter from your mother, I must conclude that there are no documented extenuating circumstances presented to confirm the delay that prevented you from submitting a petition 3 years later. The one-year deadline to submit a petition is in place because students are encouraged to resolve concerns in a timely manner, when information is available and reliable. Instructors are required to keep grade records for one year only, and academic progression takes place once per year so it is expected that issues relating to academic matters are addressed, especially when they impact a student’s standing. While you state that you met with an academic advisor who informed you that you could request a CR at any point in the future there is no evidence to confirm this; the one-year petition deadline is a long-standing rule, published clearly in the academic regulations. It is also the responsibility of the student to manage their academic responsibilities and concerns in a timely manner. Without any additional extenuating circumstances that prevented you from addressing the grade in your Fall 2022 course until now, I am unable to grant your request.
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, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: December 2, 2025
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Nikita Boyd
Student Email: 21nab23@queensu.ca
Dear Nikita:
Thank you for your petition request to waive the petition deadline related to the late drop of courses from the 2022 fall term. I have carefully reviewed your request 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.
The deadline to request Credit standing in a course is one year from the time the course has taken place. Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.5.2 stress that exceptions to the petition 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. The student must be able to show that the extenuating circumstances were ongoing. The student must also be able to demonstrate that these circumstances prevented them from acting between the time the original decision was received and the time at which the petition was eventually initiated. A petition of this type should include a presentation of the reasons for the delay and must include documents that support the reasons for this delay.
While I remain sympathetic to the circumstances you experienced in Fall 2022 as detailed in the letter from your mother, I must conclude that there are no documented extenuating circumstances presented to confirm the delay that prevented you from submitting a petition 3 years later. The one-year deadline to submit a petition is in place because students are encouraged to resolve concerns in a timely manner, when information is available and reliable. Instructors are required to keep grade records for one year only, and academic progression takes place once per year so it is expected that issues relating to academic matters are addressed, especially when they impact a student’s standing. While you state that you met with an academic advisor who informed you that you could request a CR at any point in the future there is no evidence to confirm this; the one-year petition deadline is a long-standing rule, published clearly in the academic regulations. It is also the responsibility of the student to manage their academic responsibilities and concerns in a timely manner. Without any additional extenuating circumstances that prevented you from addressing the grade in your Fall 2022 course until now, I am unable to grant your request.
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, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated December 2, 2025 at 9:08:47 AM.