Summary: The message below requests faculty to adjust course policies by removing documentation requirements from Student Health Services or the Dean of Students for excusing single-day absences, as this adds unnecessary stress and burden on students and staff. Instead, faculty should use reasonable discretion to support students dealing with illness or emergencies, promoting a supportive academic environment.
Dear Colleagues,
Every semester, students contact Student Health Services and the Dean of Students, requesting class excusals at the directive of their instructors in order to complete makeup assignments and exams. We request your support in adapting any course policies that require documentation from Student Health Services or the Dean of Students in order to allow a rescheduled exam or late assignment submission. While this practice aims to ensure that absences are legitimate, it inadvertently places an additional burden on our students experiencing acute illness and/or emergency, as well as our staff serving our campus community. Course policies requiring such documentation are an inappropriate use of our limited resources.
The Student Health Center and Dean of Students have never “excused” students from class. Instead, we are only able to provide generic information, which may validate the information a student has already communicated to their instructor. Subsequently, it is the course instructor who determines a student’s excusal, which should not be contingent upon being seen by a medical provider.
We encourage you to use your classroom authority and autonomy to create course policies which prioritize student health and wellbeing while students complete your course requirements, particularly in regards to single day absences (e.g. class, assignment, quiz, lab, exam) and no longer require students to support their absence with a doctor’s note or Notification of Absence. This approach will help:
- Reduce Stress on Students: Students who are ill or dealing with personal issues often face additional stress when they need to obtain a doctor’s note. Eliminating this requirement alleviates some of their concerns and allows them to focus on their recovery or personal matters.
- Streamline the Process: Removing the need for a doctor’s note simplifies administrative processes for both students and faculty, making it easier for students to communicate their absences. Removing this barrier also allows the medical providers and Dean of Students to focus their time to students who truly need assistance.
- Encourage Independence: We believe that allowing students to self-report their absences fosters a greater sense of responsibility and independence. It aligns with our goal of preparing students for real-world challenges by trusting them to manage their own health and academic commitments.
In the interest of the student experience, please review the enclosed relevant portions of the Student Regulations and Student Health Services policies before referring students to our offices. Please review your course syllabi and attendance policies to ensure they align with the Student Regulations. Moving forward, we hope that you will encourage, not require, students to seek medical care when needed, which will increase availability of appointments for those who need treatment.
We encourage faculty to work with students on a case-by-case basis and to offer support and understanding as students navigate their academic responsibilities. Clear communication and mutual respect are key.
Thank you for your cooperation and support in enhancing our students’ academic experience.
Sincerely,
Kelsie Fournier, Director of Student Health Services
Kelsey Pearson, Dean of Students
Student Health Services Class Excuse Policy
Responsibility for class attendance and for completion of assignments rests with the student, who should be encouraged to assume this responsibility by communicating directly with the faculty member. When indicated for clinical management of a health problem, Student Health Services may recommend alteration of academic requirements, such as class attendance or project deadlines.
The Health Service will not be involved in issuing excuses for student illness. Faculty members are as capable as medical providers in determining whether these claims are valid by having an adult-to-adult conversation with their students. Requiring a note to return to class is an inappropriate use of medical resources. The student body is better served by having a limited number of appointments available for medically necessary visits. Requiring excuses also hinders the students’ transition to adulthood by continuing to treat them like adolescents.Excerpt from III-F. Attendance (Student Regulations)
1. Instructors will include in their written course syllabi [see section II-C, Course Syllabus], at the beginning of the semester, their individual attendance requirements, including their policies for making up missed course work, laboratory and project work, tests, and examinations.
2. Absences never exempt a student from the work required for satisfactory completion of the course(s). Students have the responsibility for discussing absences with their instructors, and arranging for completion of work as necessary and possible. Instructors are encouraged to be reasonable in making accommodations.
3. Instructors are requested to report three consecutive absences to the Dean of Students’ office in order to provide a minimal check on the physical and academic well-being of the student.
Notification of Absence
1. A student may contact the Office of the Dean of Students to request notification of absence to their instructors for a documented absence of four days or more. If the student is physically or emotionally unable to contact the Office of the Dean of Students, a family member or health care provider, with the student’s permission, may make the request on the student’s behalf. The Office of the Dean of Students will consider requests for notification of absence due to:
a. Serious illness or injury or hospitalization of the studentb. Life-threatening or serious illness or injury of an immediate family member (e.g. parent–including step or in-law, legal guardian, spouse/partner, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, or another individual living in the student’s primary residence at the time of illness)c. Death of a family memberd. Compliance with a subpoena, jury duty, or other legal matters such as citizenship or naturalization processese. Significant and compelling circumstances beyond a student’s control such as an act of nature that causes destruction to a student’s primary residence