By Jacob Stowers | Broadcast Reporter
Baylor’s attendance policy needs reform. Let me paint a familiar picture for you. Your alarm goes off at 7:30 a.m. for your 1000-level STEM class that you are taking, even though you are a history major. So naturally, you roll over and shut it off to sleep in. In that instance you, of course, deserve the absence.
Now let’s change the scenario: the same thing happens, but you wake up with a fever, go to the Baylor Health Center and get a note from one of their physicians stating you are unfit to attend classes that day. If that were to occur, you would receive the same absence that you would have if you skipped class to sleep in. That absence is considered excused by the university, but still contributes to your total absence count and grade if applicable.
The College of Arts and Sciences states in its absence policy that “A student must attend at least 75 percent of all scheduled class meetings.” It then states, “Any student who does not meet this minimal standard will automatically receive a grade of ‘F’ in the course.” Meaning if you come down with a cold and miss a week of a class that meets on Tuesday and Thursday, you have already expended one-third of your allowable absences for the semester.
I completely understand a professor’s skepticism about a student calling in sick without a note; however, the university should not count a student’s serious illness against them, especially if there is documented proof that the individual is unfit to attend class.
I transferred from Syracuse University last year, and its absence policy was determined on a professor-by-professor basis. Some classes had stringent attendance policies, while others had none. While that is the complete opposite of Baylor’s policy, I feel there should be a middle ground that balances regular class attendance with more situational leniency on the students’ part.
School-sponsored events should be held to the same standard. For example, suppose a student has the opportunity to represent the university or their department in public, like at a conference or competition. In that case, that absence should also be excused in the same manner as sickness. The current absence policy disincentivizes students from embracing opportunities outside of class that could further the university’s reach or their own skill set.
To be clear, I am not saying that regular attendance in class isn’t paramount to a student’s overall success; instead, I am saying that, within reason, a student should not be afraid to attend an event during class time as long as their department or the university agrees it would be beneficial to university or student growth.
So I have presented the main problems afflicting the students, but let’s talk about solutions. First, the simplest change to the sickness policy is that if a student submits a doctor’s note stating they cannot attend class, the university should not count that absence toward their total absence count for the classes they missed.
Professors should still be able to determine their own late-work and grading policies for absences, but the university-wide policy should not penalize documented illness.
Regarding school events, the university should adopt the athletic absence policy and apply it to all students pending departmental approval. This policy states, “If a varsity student-athlete is required to participate in an official athletic competition and must miss class to participate (or travel to participate) in that competition, this absence is ordinarily considered to be excused and should not be counted against the student-athlete.”
It then goes on to say, “Moreover, provided that the student-athlete seeks to make arrangements before the absence to complete scheduled assignments, the faculty member will work with the student to allow for the completion of missed classwork and assignments.”
My proposed version of the attendance policy allows students to miss class while representing the university and also addresses how professors should handle late work resulting from absences.
Please go to class; it is essential and a necessary part of college. However, based on my experience, these small changes would immensely improve the overall student experience.
If you agree the attendance policy needs to be changed, I strongly urge you to contact the college or school you are part of, or the student government, to propose the changes outlined above.
