3. Attendance, Absences, and Opportunities to Make Up Work

Undergraduate Bulletin Policies on Attendance and Timely Compliance with Course Requirements

Students are expected to attend all classes and all examinations and to complete all course requirements on time. Faculty have the prerogative of developing an attendance policy whereby attendance and/or participation is part of the grade. As noted in the following section, “Syllabus Requirement,” instructors are obliged to announce and interpret all course requirements, including specific attendance policies, to their classes at the beginning of the term; an instructor may modify this or other requirements in the syllabus but “must give notice in class of any modification” and must do so “in a timely fashion.” This policy also applies to courses that are less than a standard semester in length. In courses that are less than a standard semester in length, the appropriateness of the duration of the excused absence will be determined on a prorated basis consistent with the length of the course in question.

Students will not be excused from a class or an examination or completion of an assignment by the stated deadline except for emergencies, required appointments or other comparable situations. Students who miss a class period, a final or other examination, or other obligations for a course (fieldwork, required attendance at a concert, etc.) must notify the instructor or the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education of the reason for their absence and must do so in a timely fashion.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education will only provide letters to instructors asking that students with compelling reasons be granted consideration in completing their work when students have missed an exam or assignment deadline or when the absence exceeds one calendar week. Faculty are expected to use their best judgment when students have appropriate documentation for legitimate absences and not rely on the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education for substantiation when it is not necessary.

If the student foresees a time conflict in advance that will prevent attendance at a class or examination or completion of an assignment, the student is expected to bring this to the attention of the instructor or the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education as soon as the conflict is noted. In the case of an unforeseen event, the student is expected to notify the instructor or the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education within one week of the requested period of absence. This timeliness is important since if the reason cited by the student is not considered a sufficient excuse, the student will need to know this as soon as possible. Even if the reason warrants granting the excuse, a student’s delay in contacting the instructor or the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education may make it more difficult for the University to assist the student with acceptable options for making up the work that was missed.

Although University officials will consider each student’s request on its own merits and not attempt to define ahead of time the validity of all the possible reasons a student might give for missing a class or an examination, there are three types of reasons for which excuses will generally be granted: (a) illness, tragedy, or other personal emergency; (b) foreseeable time conflicts resulting from required appointments; and (c) religious observance. It shall be the student’s responsibility to provide sufficient documentation to support any request. (In this context, it should be noted that fraudulent excuses are considered violations of academic integrity and are grounds for academic or disciplinary penalties.)

• Illness, Tragedy and Emergencies: If the cause is documented hospitalization or other significant medical reason, a tragic or traumatic experience, or other personal emergency, the student should contact his or her professor or the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (LC 30) as soon as the student is able to do so. In general, students are expected to provide appropriate documentation. In cases where absences exceed one calendar week, the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education will review the documentation and, if appropriate, notify the instructor(s) involved of this fact and of the date(s) for which the student has been excused. An instructor in this case may not penalize the student academically for the absence and is expected to provide reasonable assistance to the student concerning instruction and assignments that were missed. If an examination was missed, the instructor must administer a make-up examination or offer an alternative mutually agreeable to the instructor and the student. Any conflicts between student and faculty in accepting the alternative may be presented for resolution to the Chair of the department in which the course is offered. Written notes from the University Health Center will only be provided to students in instances where absence due to documentable illness exceeds one calendar week in duration. There will be no provision for notes in instances where an illness-related absence is one calendar week or less in duration, except in cases where the student has missed an exam or significant course deadline due to their absence. In these situations the UAlbany Health center Medical Excuse policy will be strictly adhered to. In cases where the student has an illness-related absence extending beyond two calendar weeks in duration, the absence must be reviewed and approved by the University Health Center, then brought to the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education will not accept requests for absence notes submitted more than one calendar week after the requested period of absence.
• Compelling Time Conflicts: If the cause of the absence is a major academic conference at which the student has a significant participation, a field trip in another course, or some other compelling time conflict, the student must notify the professor involved as soon as possible, providing verification of the conflict. When a student clearly would have been able to notify the instructor well in advance of the conflict, the student is required to do so. If an excuse is granted, the instructor is expected to provide, if at all possible, an alternative by which the student will not be penalized as a result of the conflict. Any conflicts between student and faculty in accepting the alternative may be presented for resolution to the Chair of the department in which the course is offered. The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education will not accept requests for absence notes submitted more than one calendar week after the requested period of absence.
• Athletic Events: If the cause of the absence is a varsity athletic contest, i.e., a University-sponsored team competition (excluding practice sessions and intra-squad games), the student should provide the instructor with a note from the Office of Student Athlete Support Services (Department of Athletics and Recreation) listing all scheduled competitions by the last day to add a course. If a student-athlete has provided this documentation in a timely manner, the instructor may not penalize the student academically for these absences and is expected to provide reasonable assistance to the student concerning instruction and assignments that were missed. It is the responsibility of the student to notify instructors of changes to such schedules prior to the date of the event; such changes will be supported with appropriate documentation from the Office of Student Athlete Support Services. If an examination was missed, the instructor must administer a make-up examination or offer an alternative mutually agreeable to the instructor and the student. Any conflicts between student and faculty in accepting the alternative may be presented for resolution to the Chair of the department in which the course is offered.
• Religious Observance: Absences due to religious observance are covered by New York State Education Law (Section 224-A) - Campuses are required to excuse, without penalty, individual students absent because of religious beliefs, and to provide equivalent opportunities for make-up examinations, study, or work requirements missed because of such absences. Faculty should work directly with students to accommodate religious observances. Students should notify the instructor of record in a timely manner.

The “Drop the Worst Test” Option and Makeup Exams

Some instructors use a grading scheme that allows students to drop one test, quiz, or exam from consideration—usually the one on which they do worst. This is perfectly reasonable. Occasionally, though, problems arise when a student has a documented, excusable absence from one of the tests or quizzes. The Undergraduate Academic Council was asked to review whether faculty should have the option of counting the absence as “the worst test” and concluded that it is unfair and inappropriate to refuse the student the opportunity to make up missed work, i.e., to say “that’s the test/quiz/exam you can drop.” Such a student is being afforded one less evaluation, and one less opportunity to voluntarily miss or drop a test/quiz/exam, than all others in the class. The UAC agreed that the student may choose to drop that evaluation, but otherwise must be given the opportunity to take an appropriate makeup, provided that the absence was excusable under University policies.

Documentation and the Role of Undergraduate Education

Instructors may, at their discretion, require or waive documentation of absences. Although we require students to discuss missed examinations and other penalized absences directly with instructors, we do, in some cases, serve as a central repository for any required documentation. For example, occasionally events such as hospitalization or a death in the family cause students to request that the Office for Undergraduate Education write a letter of excuse. This is most commonly done when a student faces an unexpected absence from the University and asks us to contact all course instructors simultaneously. It also allows students to maintain confidentiality regarding circumstances associated with personal or family emergencies. In these cases, the Office for Undergraduate Education will send a letter requesting that special consideration be given to the student, after proof is provided by the student in the form of documentation from, or phone consultation with, credible professionals or others. Although the Office for Undergraduate Education provides this service, we strongly encourage faculty to use their best judgement when students have appropriate documentation for legitimate absences and not to rely on our office when it is not necessary. It should be made clear that while the preceding paragraphs describe circumstances under which faculty are required or expected to provide opportunities to make up missed work, the burdens of promptly contacting the instructor and providing appropriate documentation rest with the student.