Excused Absence Policy

Rationale

Greenville University recognizes that God has created us as spirit, mind, and body. Because we value all three aspects of our God-given personhood, we seek the education, development, and expression of all three.

We recognize that much of the university student’s academic growth begins in the classroom. But we acknowledge, too, the value of extra-curricular inquiry, experience, competition, performance, and or service.

Policy

We recognize each professor's prerogative and imperative to establish clear and reasonable requirements for his/her classes, including an attendance policy. These requirements, committed to writing and distributed to students at the beginning of the semester, should stipulate appropriate penalties (if any penalties at all) for what the professor considers excessive absence.

However, as a matter of University policy--one based on the assumption that we seek to develop the whole person--student absences will generally be excused when the student is engaged in one of the following extra-curricular activities:

1. Acting as an official representative and/or ambassador of the University (e.g., athletics, university choir, student ensembles).
2. Participating in a course-sponsored field trip.
3. Participating in any other activity deemed as reason for excuse by the Chief Academic Officer.
4. We assume, in addition, that each professor will excuse a reasonable number of absences for serious illness, injury, or serious family or personal crises. The professor may, at his or her prerogative, require verification of such personal crisis prior to approving such absence.

For any individual student, a faculty member can determine when further excused absences will place a student’s academic progress in jeopardy. Faculty may inform such a student that they will not be excused from class to attend a curricular or co-curricular activity.

Responsibilities

THE SPONSORING FACULTY MEMBER, COACH OR OTHER UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE

• Should think carefully about the effects on the welfare of the students and their work in other departments.
• Consult the on-line campus calendar to avoid scheduling conflicts whenever possible
• Supply a list of affected students to the Records Office within two days following each absence, in order that this list may be distributed to the faculty. The list should include details about when the absence began and ended.
• Plan such off-campus activities so as to avoid examination weeks and the first or last few days of a semester.
• Should try to avoid arranging activities involving two consecutive class meetings in the same course.
• Avoid scheduling events that will take students away from any classes the final two class days before a break or the first day following a break. Any exceptions to this rule must be approved in advance by the Chief Academic Officer before any announcements are made to students.

THE STUDENT

• Must, whenever possible, contact his or her professors at least a week prior to the absence and arrange to make up the missed assignments or tests.
• Seek to complete make-up work or tests in advance of the absences if possible.

Students who do not make arrangements with their professors may, at the discretion of the professor, not be granted excused absences.

PROFESSORS

• Should allow excused students to make up in-class work, quizzes, or examinations as long as they have demonstrated good faith in contacting the professor in advance of the absence and made appropriate arrangements for make-up work.
• Should not excuse students who leave early or return late from vacations or breaks unless there are exceptional circumstances.

In cases where the faculty member has determined that further ‘excused absences’ are not academically advisable and before informing a student that they will not be excused from class for attendance at a school sponsored event, as professional courtesy, faculty are asked to notify the sponsor(s) of the curricular or co-curricular activity in advance of assigning unexcused absence. It is hoped that such consolations can be used to achieve the very best for students’ overall educational responsibility and benefit.

It should be noted

1. Students cannot excuse each other for missing class, even if it is for an official University activity. All excused absences must come from a professor, coach, or other University employee.
2. Class absences due to organization or team meetings or practices will not be excused.
3. Where professors allow a specific number of class absences before the student is penalized, each absence excused by the criteria listed above should diminish the number of penalty-free absences by one.
4. However, should the total number of excused absences exceed the number of penalty-free absences given by the professor, the student should not be penalized, but should be allowed to make up any work that he/she might have accomplished if not absent.
5. Any student who knows from the beginning of the semester that he/she will be absent from class for athletic competitions, field trips, or other performances will reserve his/her penalty-free absences for those endeavors.
6. Instructors may reserve a small number of special class sessions or activities for which substitute experience or evaluation cannot be made, and for which absence will not be excused, if such experiences are announced by the instructor during the first week of class.