Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13746
Decision Date: January 5, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Ella Montagano
Student Email: 22fpb3@queensu.ca
Course: CHEM 281
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Dear Ella Montagano,
I have carefully considered your request for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (S25) 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.
According to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.1 petitions are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional.
I acknowledge the circumstances that you described in your letter. I understand that while you were taking this course, you were living and working in a different time zone. I want to remind you that choosing to work while taking classes is not considered to be an unexpected extenuating circumstance. Academic Regulation 6 in the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar stresses that students are expected to attend all lectures, laboratories, tutorials, online discussions, tests, and examinations and to submit work at the prescribed times. If circumstances significantly affect attendance or academic performance, students are expected to consider dropping the course by the drop deadline of the term. With the absence of documentation demonstrating that an unexpected extenuating circumstance affected your ability to meet course requirements of CHEM 281 within the 2025 Summer term, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that your grade in CHEM 281 has on your cumulative GPA I would suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
Going forward, you should know that 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.
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.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: January 5, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Ella Montagano
Student Email: 22fpb3@queensu.ca
Course: CHEM 281
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Request credit (CR) standing in a course or courses
Instructor: John Carran
Dear Ella Montagano,
I have carefully considered your request for Credit Standing in CHEM 281 (S25) 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.
According to the Academic Appeal and Petition Regulation 1.1 petitions are only granted where there are significantly extenuating circumstances, which would merit the waiving of a particular Faculty regulation or decision. Extenuating circumstances normally involve a significant physical or psychological event that is beyond a student’s control and debilitating to their academic performance. These kinds of extraordinary situations should be supported by official documentation from a health care practitioner or other relevant professional.
I acknowledge the circumstances that you described in your letter. I understand that while you were taking this course, you were living and working in a different time zone. I want to remind you that choosing to work while taking classes is not considered to be an unexpected extenuating circumstance. Academic Regulation 6 in the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Calendar stresses that students are expected to attend all lectures, laboratories, tutorials, online discussions, tests, and examinations and to submit work at the prescribed times. If circumstances significantly affect attendance or academic performance, students are expected to consider dropping the course by the drop deadline of the term. With the absence of documentation demonstrating that an unexpected extenuating circumstance affected your ability to meet course requirements of CHEM 281 within the 2025 Summer term, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that your grade in CHEM 281 has on your cumulative GPA I would suggest that you consider repeating it in a future term. When repeating the exact same course code, both attempts will appear on your transcript however, only the higher grade will be included within the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
Going forward, you should know that 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.
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.
Sincerely,
Dorit Naaman, PhD
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated January 5, 2026 at 9:42:49 AM.