Absenteeism

Class attendance is required of all undergraduates unless the student has an official excused absence. School sponsored excused absences are granted for three general reasons:

1. Student is a varsity athlete and is representing the School in a varsity athletics activity.
2. Student is representing the School in an authorized activity related to a club or academic endeavor (academic competitions, student professional society conferences, club sport competition, program-sponsored competitions, etc.).
3. Student has a documented personal reason (e.g., injury, jury duty, long-lasting illness, or death in the immediate family, etc.).

Students who miss academic work (including but not limited to exams, homework, and labs) for one of the reasons listed above may be issued an excused absence. If an excused absence is received, the student must be given the opportunity to make up the missed work in a reasonable period of time without penalty. While the student is not responsible for actually issuing the excused absence, the student is responsible for making sure documentation is submitted appropriately and for contacting his/her faculty member(s) to initiate arrangements for making up any missed work.

ABSENCES FOR ILLNESS LASTING 3 DAYS OR LESS

Absences due to illness for three (3) or fewer consecutive school calendar days are not governed by this request process. Instead, such absences are the responsibility of the student to communicate directly to their faculty to request an arrangement to make up missed work.

The button below will take students to a form which students can use to inform their faculty member of their absence on the specific date(s). You will be asked to sign in with OKTA and only the student may use this form for themselves. 

<<<DO NOT USE THE BELOW “ILLNESS 3 DAYS OR LESS FORM” FOR ANY PLANNED ABSENCE. ONLY USE THIS FORM FOR UNPLANNED ILLNESSES>>> 

1. Varsity Athletics Absences

The Athletics Department will authorize excused absences for all approved varsity athletics-related absences. The Athletics Department will send notice of excused absences to faculty members on or before Census Day each semester. The student is responsible for contacting his/her faculty member(s) prior to the absence occurring to initiate arrangements for making up any missed work. The Faculty Oversight Committee on Sports and Athletics oversees the number of excused absences permitted per semester by varsity and club sports athletes.

2. Authorized Activity Absences

Download Form as PDF or Word version

The Assistant Vice President of Student Life (AVP) or designee may authorize excused absences upon receipt of proper documentation of the school related activity. All requests for excused absences for school-sponsored activities must be signed by the advising faculty/staff member of the sponsoring organization/club/department and submitted to the AVP at least three weeks prior to the absence. Once documentation has been verified, the AVP or designee will send notice of excused absences to faculty members. The student is responsible for contacting his/her faculty member(s) prior to the planned absence to initiate arrangements for making up any missed work.

Any requests for excused absence(s) related to an authorized activity that are not received in accordance with the timelines listed above may be denied or be documented as an excused or unexcused at the discretion of the faculty member.

3. Personal Reason Absences

The Assistant Vice President of Student Life (AVP) or designee may authorize excused absences upon verification of proper documentation of the illness, injury, significant hardship, or other approved reason. The student must provide the documentation to the AVP within one week of returning to class. In the case of religious holidays or required observances (not including weekly or daily activities), the student must submit the request at least three weeks in advance of the absence. Once documentation has been verified, the AVP or designee will send notice of excused absences to faculty members. The student is responsible for contacting his/her faculty member(s) to initiate arrangements for making up any missed work. 

Personal reasons include: illness for 4 or more consecutive school calendar days, medical appointments or treatments, bereavement, authorized activities (such as attending a mandatory work/armed services/student organization related meeting, religious observance or event for a close relative) or some other approved reason for not attending class.

We recognize that absences may contribute to or be a result of difficult circumstances. If you need help navigating personal or academic challenges, please connect with our Student Outreach and Support office for assistance.

Unexcused Absences

All absences that are not documented as excused absences, as defined in the Absenteeism policy (above) are considered unexcused absences. Faculty members may deny a student the opportunity to make up some or all of the work missed due to unexcused absence(s). However, the faculty members do have the discretion to grant a student permission to make up any missed academic work for an unexcused absence. The faculty member may consider the student’s class performance, as well as their attendance, in the decision.

Important Note: Every effort will be made by the faculty to honor all excused absences. However, class attendance is essential to understand the material and for learning to take place. Excessive absence, regardless of the reason, may result in a reduced or failing grade in the course based on course content and delivery. As content and delivery differ among the faculty and with each class, it is important for a student missing class to discuss the absences, excused or unexcused, with his/her faculty member(s) to determine what will be considered excessive.