Attendance Policy
Prompt attendance at academic appointments (classes, lectures, or conferences) is an essential part of academic work. It is expected that students will keep all academic appointments to the best of their ability or notify appropriate faculty or staff in advance of their absence. Absences for undergraduate students exceeding one week are considered unacceptable. Two absences for graduate students are unacceptable. The university supports attendance policies that are more restrictive, if such policies have been stated in the course syllabus.
Each faculty sets the attendance policy for each course taught and communicates it clearly to the student at the beginning of the semester. However, said attendance policies for faculty will include and recognize the following as excused absences:
- University-sponsored activities
- Illness
- Subpoenas
- Jury duty
- Military service
While such absences are “excused absences” and without penalty, the responsibility for work missed because of an absence rests upon the student.
The University of Saint Mary monitors student attendance and engagement in academically-related activities in their courses during the add/drop period of a semester/term. Academically-related activities include, but are not limited to, physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students; submission of an academic assignment; taking an exam, interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction; attending a study group that is assigned by the school; participating in an online discussion about academic matters; or initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course. Academically-related activities do not include logging into an online class without active participation, or participating in academic counseling or advisement.
Faculty should report student absences in excess of one week or equivalent to the Director of Student Success, unless the student has made arrangements with the instructor to complete all work missed. This allows for early intervention should the student need assistance.
Faculty members will access their class rosters and will direct any student not on the roster, but present in the course, to register immediately after the first class meeting. Faculty members will not allow, under any circumstances, an unregistered student to remain in class.
The matter of tardiness is at the discretion of each faculty member.