The following policy was adapted from a policy approved by a vote of the full faculty of PSU on 05/07/2008.
Members of the student government were in attendance and voiced their support for the policy prior to the vote.
(Updated for the Fall, 2009 semester.)
Plymouth State University students are held accountable for meeting all course requirements, which may include both in-class and out-of class experiences, as well as individual and group-based activities. Students must therefore realize that they are expected to attend all regularly scheduled meetings of courses in which they are enrolled. During the first regularly scheduled class meeting, all instructors must explain class attendance policies and explictly document, in writing on a course syllabus, whether or not unexcused absences will be used in computing grades. Students are urged to recognize the importance of participation in class activities and to be aware that their course grade may be affected by unexcused absences. It is the option of the instructor to determine the attendance policy for classes and to decide whether to allow students to make up missed work for unexcused absences. Unless the instructor states otherwise, students should assume that there will be academic consequences for every absence deemed unexcused by the instructor.
1. EXCUSED VS. UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. Student absences are defined as excused or unexcused. Unexcused absences are those that occur without adequate reason, and may be used in the computation of grades.
Excused absences fall into three categories: (1) Threats to health, i.e., circumstances in which a student (or a student's immediate family member) suffers a serious injury, or contracts an infectious or otherwise serious illness, or there is a death in the student's immediate family; (2) Compelling circumstances beyond the student's control (e.g. military duty or jury duty); and (3) Student participation in University-sponsored events.
Instructors are not obligated to excuse an absence if a student fails to provide documentation confirming the validity of the absence. Instructors also reserve the right to determine when the number of excused absences exceeds a reasonable limit, to the extent that it significantly interferes with a student's satisfactory mastery of course content/skills. Excused absences do not exempt a student from course requirements, and therefore in circumstances that entail excessive excused absences the instructor may reasonably recommend that a student consider withdrawal from a course.
2. PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING ABSENCES. It is the responsibility of the student, where possible, to notify instructors regarding absences for whatever reason or period of time. This should take place before leaving campus, during an illness, or upon return to campus within a reasonable period of time. If there are extenuating circumstances that make such communication difficult, students should contact the Undergraduate Studies Office. The Undergraduate Studies Office will send absence notices to a student's instructors, but such notices are for information purposes only and do not serve as documentation for absences.
3. ADDITIONAL ATTENDANCE CONSIDERATIONS. Students are reminded that they have the responsibility to choose their extracurricular activities at times that are not in conflict with their academic classes. Students who do not appear for the first class of the semester and do not notify the instructor before the class meeting that they will be absent, may be dropped from the course by the instructor and their place may be given to another student. Students should not, however, assume they have been dropped if they miss the first class.
Semester assignments, homework, and labwork must be turned in by 5:00 PM on the announced due date. Unless stated otherwise in the assignment description (or special agreements have previously been made between the student and instructor), assignments may be turned in up to one week late with a ten point penalty. No assignment more than one week late will be accepted without a valid reason. Valid reasons include those described for excused absences (above), and must be validated with appropriate documentation.
Documentation must be provided by the student either before or at the time the late assignment is turned in.
This page was last updated on 09/01/2009.