Decision Letter
Submission Number: 14045
Decision Date: April 13, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Harrison Blackwell
Student Email: 19hjb3@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 354
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Harry Blackwell:
Thank you for your petition requesting to drop POLS 354 (W25) after the academic deadline and to transfer more than 6.0 units of courses on a Letter of Permission, specifically 12.0 units from Athabasca University. After a thorough review, I regret to inform you that I’m unable to grant this request in its entirety, but I want to emphasize that this decision is based on the guidelines outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Petition and Appeal Regulations. Your petition and supporting documentation were carefully reviewed in relation to these regulations before reaching this decision.
I acknowledge the health-related challenges you described in your petition letter and understand your need to complete your degree online at this time. I am sincerely sorry that these circumstances have had such an impact on your 2025 Winter term and that you were subsequently unable to write a deferred exam in POLS 354. I appreciate the documentation that you supplied and I am glad to hear that you are receiving appropriate support at this time.
I have granted your request to drop POLS 354 (W25) after the academic deadline. Your final grade will be replaced as a DR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
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.
Regarding your request to transfer 12.0 units of courses from Athabasca University, Academic Regulation 14.1 indicates that a student in a degree program in the Faculty of Arts and Science may be permitted to take up to 6.0 units of undergraduate classes elsewhere for credit toward a degree offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science via a Letter of Permission. Students with extenuating circumstances or an opportunity to pursue an exceptional learning experience not available through Queen's may submit a petition to the Associate Dean (Academic) to request an exception to the 6.0 unit maximum.
I understand that you require 12.0 units to complete your degree including 3.0 units of POLS at the 200-level and 9.0 units of electives. I see that you have already transferred 3.0 units from another institution during the 2021 Fall term and I encourage you to apply for a Letter of Permission for your final 3.0 units of POLS as these courses are not traditionally offered online through Queen’s. Please know that students may take a maximum of 18.0 units per term, including courses taken at other institutions.
Regarding your request to transfer 9.0 units elective courses from Athabasca, I am unable to grant this part of your petition. The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.7.1.7 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petition requests to take courses at another institution must directly address how this is necessary due to extenuating circumstances or to an exceptional academic opportunity. As your petition did not demonstrate such extenuating circumstances preventing you from taking your remaining electives online at Queen’s, I cannot grant this part of your request.
If you wish to appeal this decision 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”). Appeals to the Board of Studies must be submitted within 10 business days of the date of this decision. 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, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Decision Date: April 13, 2026
Associate Dean: Dorit Naaman (Associate Dean Academic)
Student Name: Harrison Blackwell
Student Email: 19hjb3@queensu.ca
Course: POLS 354
Term: Winter
Year: 2025
Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Dear Harry Blackwell:
Thank you for your petition requesting to drop POLS 354 (W25) after the academic deadline and to transfer more than 6.0 units of courses on a Letter of Permission, specifically 12.0 units from Athabasca University. After a thorough review, I regret to inform you that I’m unable to grant this request in its entirety, but I want to emphasize that this decision is based on the guidelines outlined in the Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Petition and Appeal Regulations. Your petition and supporting documentation were carefully reviewed in relation to these regulations before reaching this decision.
I acknowledge the health-related challenges you described in your petition letter and understand your need to complete your degree online at this time. I am sincerely sorry that these circumstances have had such an impact on your 2025 Winter term and that you were subsequently unable to write a deferred exam in POLS 354. I appreciate the documentation that you supplied and I am glad to hear that you are receiving appropriate support at this time.
I have granted your request to drop POLS 354 (W25) after the academic deadline. Your final grade will be replaced as a DR notation on your transcript once this has been processed by the Office of the University Registrar.
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.
Regarding your request to transfer 12.0 units of courses from Athabasca University, Academic Regulation 14.1 indicates that a student in a degree program in the Faculty of Arts and Science may be permitted to take up to 6.0 units of undergraduate classes elsewhere for credit toward a degree offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science via a Letter of Permission. Students with extenuating circumstances or an opportunity to pursue an exceptional learning experience not available through Queen's may submit a petition to the Associate Dean (Academic) to request an exception to the 6.0 unit maximum.
I understand that you require 12.0 units to complete your degree including 3.0 units of POLS at the 200-level and 9.0 units of electives. I see that you have already transferred 3.0 units from another institution during the 2021 Fall term and I encourage you to apply for a Letter of Permission for your final 3.0 units of POLS as these courses are not traditionally offered online through Queen’s. Please know that students may take a maximum of 18.0 units per term, including courses taken at other institutions.
Regarding your request to transfer 9.0 units elective courses from Athabasca, I am unable to grant this part of your petition. The Academic Petitions and Appeals Regulation 1.7.1.7 at queensu.ca/academic-calendar/arts-science/appeal-regulations/ stress that petition requests to take courses at another institution must directly address how this is necessary due to extenuating circumstances or to an exceptional academic opportunity. As your petition did not demonstrate such extenuating circumstances preventing you from taking your remaining electives online at Queen’s, I cannot grant this part of your request.
If you wish to appeal this decision 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”). Appeals to the Board of Studies must be submitted within 10 business days of the date of this decision. 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, Ph.D.
Associate Dean (Academic)
Generated April 13, 2026 at 9:55:58 AM.