Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13772
Decision Date: January 5, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Lavan Vickneswaramoorthy
Student Email: lavanawesome@gmail.com
Course: MUSC 171
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Lavan:
Thank you for your petition request to drop MUSC 171 (F25) after the academic deadline. I have carefully reviewed your petition, and 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.
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 feedback that you provided in your petition letter regarding your expectations of the course content in MUSC 171. While I do not doubt the sincerity or the severity of the difficulties you experienced during the Fall term, with the absence of documentation demonstrating that an extenuating circumstance affected your academic performance in this course or prevented you from dropping it by the academic deadline, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that MUSC 171 has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it 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.
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.
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: Lavan Vickneswaramoorthy
Student Email: lavanawesome@gmail.com
Course: MUSC 171
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Lavan:
Thank you for your petition request to drop MUSC 171 (F25) after the academic deadline. I have carefully reviewed your petition, and 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.
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 feedback that you provided in your petition letter regarding your expectations of the course content in MUSC 171. While I do not doubt the sincerity or the severity of the difficulties you experienced during the Fall term, with the absence of documentation demonstrating that an extenuating circumstance affected your academic performance in this course or prevented you from dropping it by the academic deadline, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that MUSC 171 has on your GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating it 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.
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.
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 9:52:53 AM.