The Office of the Dean of Students assists students who may be having a difficult time in their courses, understanding that students may miss class due to illness or family issues that occur during the semester.

Students who have missed an extensive number of classes for the reasons noted above or due to chronic illness or personal crisis should feel comfortable meeting with a DOS staff member to discuss the impact of their absences on class performance. Typically, a staff member in the Office of the Dean of Students will meet with a student to discuss his/her specific situation; the staff member may also refer the student to other campus resources as necessary.

The student is responsible for communicating directly with his/her instructor when he/she realizes the need to be absent and is also responsible for contacting each instructor to arrange for completion of required work, including missed assignments and exams.

Authority for excusing absences rests with the teacher who may request that the student obtain authentication of absences considered unavoidable.

The Office of the Dean of Students does not provide verification or proof of the legitimacy of the reason for an absence for non-critical or non-emergency situations.

Emergency Absence Notification to Instructors

The Office of the Dean of Students serves as a contact resource by providing instructors with notification of class absences in critical and emergency situations, such as hospitalization, serious illness, and serious injury of the student or death of an immediate family member. The class absence notifications from the Office of the Dean of Students are strictly informational and advisory, and are not intended to verify or provide proof of the legitimacy of the absence.

Intercollegiate Competitive Events and/or Artistic Performances

Students who represent the University in intercollegiate competitive events or in artistic performances at which their presence is requested by a University official are entitled to excused absences from missed classes. Please see the Absence from Class: Intercollegiate Competitive Events or Artistic Performances guidelines for arranging proper notification and approval of these absences.