Decision Letter
Submission Number: 13932
Decision Date: March 23, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Abigail Alliston
Student Email: 20ala5@queensu.ca
Course: CHEM113
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS220
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHARM100
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: GPHY327
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: GPHY102
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Abbey,
I have carefully considered your request to drop GPHY 102, GPHY 327, PHAR 100 (W24), CHEM 113 and DEVS 220 (S25) after the academic deadline 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 1.7.1.2. 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 understand the family-related circumstances described in your petition letter and appreciate the documentation that you provided regarding your father’s medical condition. While I do not doubt the sincerity of how this situation affected you,
your petition did not include documentation demonstrating that an unexpected extenuating circumstance prevented you from dropping these courses prior to the academic drop date. In the absence of such documentation, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that your grade in these courses have on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them 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: March 23, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Abigail Alliston
Student Email: 20ala5@queensu.ca
Course: CHEM113
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: DEVS220
Term: Summer
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: PHARM100
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: GPHY327
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Course: GPHY102
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Abbey,
I have carefully considered your request to drop GPHY 102, GPHY 327, PHAR 100 (W24), CHEM 113 and DEVS 220 (S25) after the academic deadline 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 1.7.1.2. 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 understand the family-related circumstances described in your petition letter and appreciate the documentation that you provided regarding your father’s medical condition. While I do not doubt the sincerity of how this situation affected you,
your petition did not include documentation demonstrating that an unexpected extenuating circumstance prevented you from dropping these courses prior to the academic drop date. In the absence of such documentation, I am unable to grant this request.
If you are concerned about the impact that your grade in these courses have on your cumulative GPA, I would suggest that you consider repeating them 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 March 23, 2026 at 3:24:19 PM.