Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13780
Decision Date: January 5, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Jennifer Gyamfi
Student Email: 24gqc@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: WRIT 120
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS 102
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: RELS 131
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Jennifer Gyamfi,
I have carefully considered your requests to drop DEVS 102, PSYC 100, RELS 131 and WRIT 120 (S25) after the academic deadline. While I’m unable to grant all of these requests, 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 have granted your request to drop the courses that ran from May to July, as the documentation that you supplied referencing the June 18, 2025 date confirms academic impacts on your courses during that period. Your final grades DEVS 102, PSYC 100 and RELS 131 (S25) will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
Regarding your request to drop WRIT 120 (S25), while I acknowledge the circumstances that you described in your petition letter and confirmed within the documentation you supplied, I want to remind you that petition process is not intended to be used to manage a chronic condition. Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively through options such as academic consideration or accommodations via Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). As you were aware of the academic impacts from extenuating circumstances on your other Summer term courses in June, prior to this course beginning, it was your responsibility to drop this course by the academic deadline. I have therefore denied this request as your petition did not include documentation demonstrating that an extenuating circumstance beyond your control impacted your academic ability in this July to August course or prevented you from dropping it by the deadline.
If you are concerned with the impact that WRIT 120 (S25) has on your 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, as the documentation that you supplied dated September 9, 2025 suggests a need for ongoing accommodations, I would suggest that you consider registering with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you can obtain ongoing support from an Accessibility Advisor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
Also, 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.
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: January 5, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Jennifer Gyamfi
Student Email: 24gqc@queensu.ca
Course: PSYC 100
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: WRIT 120
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS 102
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: RELS 131
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Jennifer Gyamfi,
I have carefully considered your requests to drop DEVS 102, PSYC 100, RELS 131 and WRIT 120 (S25) after the academic deadline. While I’m unable to grant all of these requests, 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 have granted your request to drop the courses that ran from May to July, as the documentation that you supplied referencing the June 18, 2025 date confirms academic impacts on your courses during that period. Your final grades DEVS 102, PSYC 100 and RELS 131 (S25) will be replaced with a DR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
Regarding your request to drop WRIT 120 (S25), while I acknowledge the circumstances that you described in your petition letter and confirmed within the documentation you supplied, I want to remind you that petition process is not intended to be used to manage a chronic condition. Academic impacts from ongoing circumstances should be managed proactively through options such as academic consideration or accommodations via Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). As you were aware of the academic impacts from extenuating circumstances on your other Summer term courses in June, prior to this course beginning, it was your responsibility to drop this course by the academic deadline. I have therefore denied this request as your petition did not include documentation demonstrating that an extenuating circumstance beyond your control impacted your academic ability in this July to August course or prevented you from dropping it by the deadline.
If you are concerned with the impact that WRIT 120 (S25) has on your 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, as the documentation that you supplied dated September 9, 2025 suggests a need for ongoing accommodations, I would suggest that you consider registering with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) if you have not done so already, so that you can obtain ongoing support from an Accessibility Advisor who can help manage the ongoing impacts of your health on your academics.
Also, 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.
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 January 5, 2026 at 9:46:06 AM.