My attendance policy is fairly liberal and reflects the idea that most students cannot miss more than two weeks of classes and still keep up with required class participation. It also reflects my belief that students need to learn to balance personal, work and school obligations.
I do not ask questions about absences until you exceed the allowed number for the class or unless you wish to take a make-up examination. However, it is in your best interests to keep track of all absences just in case you exceed the allowed number and I do ask questions. Remember that if you exceed the allowed number of absences you must explain/excuse all of them, not just the ones over the allowed number. (In other words, if you are allowed four absences and you miss four, I ask no questions. If you are allowed four absences and you miss 5, I will ask about all 5 and will take off points for that fifth absence unless you can excuse all the others as well.)
Please note that I am more inclined to be lenient with students who have had good attendance and class participation until a crisis hits them than with students who seem to have ongoing problems with finding time to fulfill their obligations towards my class. I cannot repeat too often that if work, family or other obligations constantly interfere with attendance or deadlines, students should withdraw from the class.
In deciding whether to excuse an absence, these are the criteria I follow:
University-excused absence: I must have a copy of the letter excusing you. If it is a letter addressed to all teachers, I'll need a copy. (It is your responsibility to make me a copy.) If the letter includes a list of names, highlight your name and write the class and section number next to the name. (I save all memos sent to me from coaches, etc. but I do not look for specific names. It will be up to you to find your name in a memo if/when you are claiming a "university excused" absence.) It is each student's responsibility (not mine) to identify the dates involved. If you wish to have a make-up exam, you must make arrangements ahead of time. (If you just don't show up for the exam, even if I had a note from your coach or whatever, you will lose points for not having made arrangements for the make up.)
Bereavement: I excuse a maximum of one class day for funerals. The only exception is if the deceased was your father, mother, sibling, child or spouse/significant other (in which case I will allow a maximum of one week). To support the claim of bereavement I want to see either an obituary that names you among the bereaved or a letter from a member of the clergy or other reliable source (for ex. highschool principal, parent, employer, your psychologist) confirming your relationship to the deceased. In this and all other cases, I demand more proof if you missed a scheduled exam and/or want a deadline extension than if you just need to be excused for missing one class.
Illness: I will excuse one day of illness on your say-so. A note telling me "On [date] I was sick with [illness name]" will be accepted for one excuse (provided it is not the day of an exam). If you want more illnesses excused, you will need to bring me one or more of the following (the longer you've been absent, the more proof I will require): note from a doctor stating that you were too ill to go to class (this is not the same as a note saying that s/he's been treating you and you may now return to class), hospital or clinic admission papers covering the relevant dates, a dated prescription that makes clear that it is for an illness, not a chronic condition. Please note that I do not excuse absences caused by voluntary surgery or similar medical treatment (in other words, don't schedule your nose job for the time when my class meets). Remember that I demand more proof if you missed a scheduled exam and/or want a deadline extension than if you just need to be excused for missing one class.
Childbirth: Same as with illness above. I don't regard childbirth on the same level as voluntary surgery, but if medical complications connected to pregnancy make it necessary for you to miss more than three weeks of class, you should probably withdraw.
Family Illness (Typically of a child, spouse or elderly relative for whom you are responsible): We cannot have too many of these, but I will accept a maximum of one week's worth of absences for this reason. I need the same kind of information as for your own illness but in addition I want a note from a reliable source (for example your child's pediatrician, your grandmother's cardiologist, your family spiritual advisor) indicating that you were needed for the care/support of this close relative.
Service in the Military: I will treat this as a university-excused absence if I have adequate documentation (usually a copy of your orders). However, if you find that you need to miss more than 1/4 of the semester, it may be better for you to drop the course.
Car Troubles: I will accept a maximum of one absence in this category. You must support it by showing me a tow-truck receipt, and/or a mechanic's bill and/or a police officer's ticket or report. As stated above, in all cases I demand more proof if you missed a scheduled exam and/or want a deadline extension than if you just need to be excused for missing one class.
Court Appearances: I will need copies of documents which include your name as the person who needs to be in court. If you are going as a witness to a friend or under some other circumstance, I will ask for further documentation.
Accidents: If you are in a car accident, a copy of the police report (which should include the date and time) will usually be necessary to excuse your absence. Other possible documentation might be tow-truck record, emergency-room admission papers, etc. Remember that I demand more proof if you missed a scheduled exam and/or want a deadline extension than if you just need to be excused for missing one class.
Traffic Jams: If you have not used the "illness-on-your-say-so excuse" (above), I will allow one traffic jam excuse on your say so in its place (unless you have missed an exam). All other traffic jam excuses must have been covered by the news and/or I must be aware of them through other means (for example, if several students are affected).
Weather problems: . If your neighborhood was hit by a tornado or flood, it should be in the news. Save the relevant paper clipping and/or news item from the Internet. In some cases, I may ask for proof of where you live. In the event of severe weather, I will be guided by public school closings for the first absence but I may require additional proof that your particular route is affected after the first absence. (I myself used to live in Davidson County and often had students who lived closer to MTSU and whose drive is along less treacherous roads than mine claim that they couldn't make it to class because of the bad weather. And then there was the student some years ago who called the department secretary to tell her that he couldn't make it to class because of the snow-- but who was clearly calling from one of the dorms...) Remember that I demand more proof if you missed a scheduled exam and/or want a deadline extension than if you just need to be excused for missing one class.
Other: If you have not used the one allowed excuse of undocumented illness or traffic jam (where I just take your word for the problem), I will allow one excuse of almost any type (friend's wedding, dead pet, etc.) provided you tell me in writing what caused your absence and why you felt it was important. (Please note that I do not consider weddings, dead pets, etc. adequate excuses for missing an exam or an essay deadline.) However, I will only allow one such excuse (And it will take the place of "I was ill" or "I was in a traffic jam."). If too many of your friends want to get married during my class, you are going to have to suggest that they have a group wedding, miss one of the weddings, or accept the penalty for missing too many classes.
Remember also that you do not need to give me ANY excuses until/unless you have exceeded the allowed number of absences or unless you are trying to get an extension on a paper and/or a make up date for an exam.
I hope that we do not need to refer back to this page very often. Most students should be able to satisfy the class attendance requirement without trouble. However, it is here for those of you who need the information.
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