Class Attendance Policy

An excused absence from class is determined by the instructor of record in consultation with the student involved. Should there be a case where instructor-student agreement cannot be reached, the request for an excuse may be appealed to the head of the department in which the course is offered (with the final appeal being made to the dean of the college). The ruling of the dean will be the final decision.

Class attendance is compulsory for courses numbered 199 and below. Class attendance is also compulsory for freshmen, veterans, international students, students on academic probation, and students receiving federal financial aid, without regard to the number of the course. Any student for whom attendance is compulsory may, at the discretion of the instructor, be penalized for failure to attend class. Any instructor who exercises the option of lowering a grade as a penalty for failure to attend classes must announce the policy in writing at the beginning of the semester and must follow the standards outlined below:

1. For a 1-hour course, the student may have one hour of unexcused absence without penalty. For every hour of unexcused absence beyond one, the students final grade may be lowered one letter.
2. For a 2-hour course, the student may have two hours of unexcused absence without penalty. For every two hours of unexcused absence beyond the two, the students final grade may be lowered one letter.
3. For a 3-hour course, the student may have three hours of unexcused absence without penalty. For every three hours of unexcused absence beyond the three, the students final grade may be lowered one letter.
4. For a 4-hour course, the student may have four hours of unexcused absence without penalty. For every four hours of unexcused absence beyond the four, the students final grade may be lowered one letter.
5. For a 5-hour course, the student may have five hours of unexcused absence without penalty. For every five hours of unexcused absence beyond the five, the students final grade may be lowered one letter.

An excused absence does not relieve a student of the responsibility for the class work missed. A student must realize that excessive absences, even up to the number allowed without penalty, cause him/her to miss essential elements of the course. The instructor is not obligated to allow the student to make up work or tests or to repeat instructions for a student whose absence has not officially been excused. The instructor is obligated to allow the student with an excused absence to make up, as much as possible, the work missed.