Attendance policy gives students trouble

She couldn't miss another class.

During the first semester of her sophomore year, Sarah DeBouter, a 19-year-old sophomore from Middlebury, Vt., double majoring in English and education, struggled to keep up in her data structures class.

She had missed the class twice; once delayed in an airport and another time afflicted with an ailment. She was given a choice: She could drop the class with an "F" or withdraw even though she had a good grade.

"Due to the Norwich University policy I was forced to withdraw from a class because two of my what should have been excused absences were considered unexcused," DeBouter stated.

The implementation of the Norwich attendance policy varies among professors; some are stricter than others, but all may have consequences for missing class, according to Norwich students and faculty.

Some professors allow students to see the consequences in their own actions, rather than punish them.

Derek Mullen, a 20-year-old sophomore nursing major from Farmington, Conn., said, "I have had a couple professors who adhere very strictly to the attendance policy, but then I've had professors who just say, ‘You can just come whenever you want, but if don't come you're not going to learn the material.'"

"I feel like even if I didn't have that kind of strictness put on me I would still go to class anyway," Mullen said. "If you don't learn the material, you will fail the class."

The stricter professors at Norwich tend to adhere closely to the guidelines given by the registrar, the Academic Rules and Regulations.

The Academic Rules and Regulations are set as the standard procedures for students and faculty. It is available on the school website.

Linda Karch, professor of English, said, "I keep track of who's absent and I send out warning letters sometimes if it looks like it's going to be excessive absences. The rule is to send it out after two (absences) on Tuesday, Thursday classes, and after three (absences) on Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes."

Her letter states when the student was absent and that further absences might result in the recommendation to the vice president of academic affairs they be dropped from the class with an ‘F'.

She keeps track of who should

eceive a letter by taking daily attendance, either by roll call or having students sign in.

Karch is strict when it comes to missing class. "If a student misses 15 percent of their total classes you can drop them right then and there," she said.

However, she is very generous with excusing absences. Karch said, "Sometimes somebody has been sick a great long time which might necessitate them missing maybe two weeks of school."

She explained, "For instance I had a student who had mononucleosis and she was very sick and so it seemed to me that that should have had some generosity of interpretation. She didn't deliberately miss class and just blow it off; she was actually sick and in bed, couldn't get up."

"If someone's giving a genuine effort to keep up with the readings and the work of the class, even if they can't quite do it, they still need to have that opportunity," Karch said.

The Academic Rules and Regulations states that "documented debilitating illness (and) emergency leave" are considered excused absences.

Single-day course field trips, military obligations for students contracted for commissions in the U.S. military and other military obligations beyond the student's control, varsity athletic contests and regimental band appearances are also considered excused absences.

Martha Mathis, dean of students, said that students should "have as many ways as possible to contact their faculty in case they cannot make it to class that day."

Professors are allowed to excuse an absence in the case of unexpected events and situations.

DeBouter stated, "I think we need to find a better way to distinguish between what is an excused and unexcused absence, and if you do miss a class, how do you provide information to make it excused?"

With strict professors it is often difficult to provide the paperwork they necessitate from students.

"Civilian students don't get (pink slips); every time I've been sick the infirmary has refused to give me one," DeBouter declared.

Mathis admits that "trying to get excused from a class gets kind of tricky," so she helps the students in any way she can.

But, Mathis cautioned, "My role is just to remind students that Norwich does have an attendance policy and to remind students to check with each of their faculty members because I have learned over the years that (each professor) is different."

As a member of the swim team, Mullen has had to deal with absenses. "Usually (athletes) try to let our professors know a couple days in advance," he said. "The policy at Norwich University is if you're going to miss class for a sport … you have to let your professor know at least 48 hours in advance."

Mullen explained, "For me, as a nursing major, because we get bombarded with so much work we have to let our professors know."

"I let one of my professors know about two weeks in advance that I was going to miss class and she said, ‘We can have you attend one of the earlier classes,' and it worked out just fine," Mullen said.

"We are charged with helping all students succeed, but the student has to cooperate in getting that success," said Karch.

"At one time I had a (student) who missed nine classes," she reminisced. "He just couldn't get a passing grade in the course." So she had to drop him from the course.

To Karch's surprise, "His father called me, and read me the riot act, and I said, ‘Well, your son knew the policy.' I thought that concluded the discussion, but he went straight to the president. The president supported my enforcement of the policy."

Karch makes her rules clear on the first day of classes. She hands out a packet which contains the homework assignments and course policies.

"In it there is the class attendance policy, which states that regular attendance is required and so forth. I also talk about how you receive an excused absence and an unexcused absence" she said.

"I don't agree with the unexcused absence policy," Mullen stated.

"If you have someone that is really sick, they are going to miss maybe one or two days of school. That one or two days, if they go in when they should be staying in bed and taking in a lot of fluids, and vitamin C, you're going to have them exposing all these disease to other people, and worrying about getting the right documentation," he explained.

Mullen continued, "If a student is sick and goes in (to class) then they're affecting everyone else that goes in there, and they miss class. It's unfair for the one person that's sick, but it's also unfair to the other people that will get sick."

Not worrying about paperwork and "having the lenient professor is a little more fun, a little bit easier, and a little less stressful, but you still have to pass the class," Mullen said.

Most students recognize that to succeed in college they need to attend classes. Missing classes results in working extra to catch up.

Karch said, "I think the students punish themselves (by missing classes)."

DeBouter agreed: "I think it should be up to the teacher, with how they want (to regulate) their students coming to class. It's their class, they're the one teaching it, therefore they should be the one enforcing their own personal attendance policy. It's their time and the student's time.

"The students are paying for those classes and the teachers are being paid to teach those classes. Therefore, there should be a common understanding between the teacher and students that attendance is necessary."