Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13852
Decision Date: February 17, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Maya Ocampo
Student Email: 23hfh1@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS221
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Maya:
Thank you for your petition request to drop DEVS 221 (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 1.7.1.2. a petition to drop a class late must clearly demonstrate the significant extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s control, which prevented them from dropping the class by the deadline, as indicated in the Faculty’s Sessional Dates. A medical certificate or other documentation that outlines how the personal extenuating circumstances hindered the student’s ability to drop the class prior to the deadline should be provided with the petition.
I acknowledge that you sustained an injury during the 2025 Summer term that required months of ongoing medical treatment and support. While I do not doubt the sincerity or the severity of the challenges you experienced during the Fall term because of this injury, the documentation that you submitted does not demonstrate that these circumstances prevented you from dropping the course by the academic deadline. For this reason, I am unable to grant your request.
If you are concerned about the impact that this course 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: February 17, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Maya Ocampo
Student Email: 23hfh1@queensu.ca
Course: DEVS221
Term: Fall
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Maya:
Thank you for your petition request to drop DEVS 221 (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 1.7.1.2. a petition to drop a class late must clearly demonstrate the significant extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s control, which prevented them from dropping the class by the deadline, as indicated in the Faculty’s Sessional Dates. A medical certificate or other documentation that outlines how the personal extenuating circumstances hindered the student’s ability to drop the class prior to the deadline should be provided with the petition.
I acknowledge that you sustained an injury during the 2025 Summer term that required months of ongoing medical treatment and support. While I do not doubt the sincerity or the severity of the challenges you experienced during the Fall term because of this injury, the documentation that you submitted does not demonstrate that these circumstances prevented you from dropping the course by the academic deadline. For this reason, I am unable to grant your request.
If you are concerned about the impact that this course 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 February 17, 2026 at 9:50:58 AM.