Attendance Regulations

Students are expected to attend every scheduled meeting of all courses in which they are enrolled and to be present for the full class period. Students are responsible for checking their registration at the beginning of the semester to ensure that their registration information is accurate. 

Absenteeism and tardiness, regardless of cause, are a threat to academic achievement.  Recognizing that perfect attendance is not always possible, the University addresses the issue of absences as follows:  During the first week of a semester the instructor will provide, as part of the class syllabus, a written statement of the attendance policy for that class.  The statement will explain the consequences for absences as well as a policy on excused absences, and will be made available to each student properly enrolled in the class.
A student who is absent from a class is responsible, nevertheless, for all material covered during the class period.  The student is also subject to appropriate consequences, as described by the instructor in the syllabus, if a test, quiz, recitation, homework assignment, or any other activity falls on the day of absence unless the student is granted an excused absence.

Excused Absences

A student who must miss a scheduled class meeting, including an exam or in-class graded assignment, may be granted an excused absence at the discretion of the instructor.  An excused absence entitles the student to make up any required activity that took place on the day of the absence.  The student is still responsible, however, for any material covered during the class period that was missed.  Whenever possible, requests for excused absences should be made by the student in advance; moreover, they should be infrequent as well as reasonable in terms of the grounds, necessity, and duration.  Grounds could include illness, accident, serious emergency, or the observance of a religious holiday that prevents the student from attending class.
Documentation supporting a student request for an excused absence should be submitted directly to the Academic Success Center for students in the College of Arts and Sciences, or to the Boler Dean’s Office for students in the Boler College of Business.  After verifying the student’s documentation, the Academic Success Center or Boler Dean’s Office will communicate the request to the faculty member(s) who retains the discretion to grant the excused absence.  Documentation to request official notification and accommodation on the basis of a disability should be directed to Student Accessibility Services.

Absences for Extracurricular Activities

Students who anticipate missing a class because of extracurricular events officially sponsored by the University have the responsibility to consult the syllabus for the class and identify any possible conflicts between required course activities and their extracurricular events.  The student should obtain, from the coordinator of the activity, an official letter of participation and present it, along with a schedule of events for the semester, to the faculty instructor, identifying the dates of conflict, if possible, and requesting excused absences.  If possible, faculty members are to grant excused absences for these students.  However, students should be aware that last-minute requests are usually inappropriate.  One week prior to each event the student will present to the faculty member a written request for an excused absence and, if the absence is allowed, make final arrangements for any work that will be missed.  If a faculty member finds it impossible to grant an excused absence, the student will be bound by the statements on attendance as found in the syllabus for the class.
If an excused absence is not granted, an appeal is first made to the course instructor.  If the matter remains unsettled, the faculty member and the chair will then attempt to resolve the difficulty with the student.  If this does not lead to resolution, the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or the Boler College of Business normally will rule in the matter.