Attendance Regulations

Regular attendance in class and laboratory sessions is an obligation assumed by every student at the time of registration. Regular attendance affords the student the opportunity to acquire the content of the specific session and, over the length of the course, the continuity of the professor’s plan for the presentation of the subject matter in the course.

It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw when absences have been excessive. Absence means nonattendance for whatever reason. It is the prerogative of the professor to determine when absences are excessive. A guideline used by many professors to determine when absences are excessive is twice the number of ;clock hours that the class meets during a week, or a pro-rata value designed to relate to shorter than semester length courses or practicum intensive programs. This is strictly a guideline and will vary with each professor depending on the subject matter of the course or laboratory. The professor may drop a student from a course if absences, in the opinion of the professor, have placed the student’s success in jeopardy.

If there were extenuating circumstances related to the absences which resulted in being dropped from a course, the student may petition the Division Dean within five academic calendar days. The petition must contain an explanation of the absences, progress in the course to date, and justification for reinstatement. If the absences were due to illness, the petition must include a physician’s written confirmation or a confirmation from the College Health Center. A student submitting a petition may, with the permission of the professor, remain in class until the decision is reached and a recommendation has been made to the professor. In all cases, the decision of the professor is final.