Undergraduate Bulletin > Academic Regulations & Policies > Class Attendance

Class Attendance

Regular class attendance is a responsibility and a privilege of university education. It is fundamental to the orderly acquisition of knowledge. Students should recognize the advantages of regular class attendance, accept it as a personal responsibility, and apprise themselves of the consequences of poor attendance. Instructors should stress the importance of these responsibilities to students, set appropriate class attendance policies for their classes, and inform students of their requirements in syllabi and orally at the beginning of each term.

Student’s Responsibility

1. Knowledge of each instructor’s attendance policy and monitoring his or her class absences throughout the term.
2. Familiarity with all materials covered in each course during absences and make-up of any work required by the instructor.
3. Initiation of requests to make-up work missed because of class absences. The decision to assist the student with make-up work, including tests, rests with the instructor.
4. Follow-up on all notices from the Registrar regarding course enrollment in order to correct registration.

Instructor’s Responsibility

1. Setting of reasonable regulations for class attendance as appropriate for class content, organization, methodology, and size.
2. Description of attendance policies in course syllabi and announcement in class, particularly at the beginning of each term.
3. Maintenance of class attendance records of enrolled students as appropriate for the attendance policy.
4. Exaction of penalties for unsatisfactory class attendance. Possible penalties are lowering the course grade, including a grade of F, and, in extreme circumstances, dropping the student from the course.

Religious Observance

Approved by the Office of the Provost, August 2010

1. The University allows for a limited number of excused absences each academic year for religious observances required by the faith of the student.
2. Students must notify instructors of absences in advance of the date of the religious observance. Instructors have authority to specify, via written notice to students, the amount of lead time required and may require that the nature of the religious observance be specified and the student's participation be confirmed in writing by an official of the religious organization.
3. When appropriate notice is provided by a student, the student must be granted at least two excused absences per academic year under this policy and must be allowed to make up or waive work and tests missed due to these particular absences. With regard to any test or other assignment that a student would miss due to notice of a required religious observance, faculty members may require the student to complete the test or assignment in advance of the originally scheduled date of the test or assignment. Beyond the minimum terms and limits of this policy, instructors maintain authority to establish and enforce the attendance policy for the courses they are teaching.
4. The requirement for students to make such requests for excused absences applies only to days when the University is holding class.

Appeals

If a student thinks there is a discrepancy between the instructor’s exaction of a penalty for unsatisfactory class attendance and the stated policy or that there is an extenuating circumstance that may affect the instructor’s decision, then he or she should first make a request to the instructor. If desired, the student may further appeal to the Department Head, the Dean of the School or College, and the Provost, in that order.