Class Attendance

At Fredonia students will experience a variety of educational styles and opportunities. Attendance is expected in all classes. Some courses will require attendance. Some courses will base a part of the grade on attendance and participation. Other courses will have no formal requirements concerning attendance. Instructors will indicate the attendance policy as a part of the course syllabus.

It is the student’s responsibility, if absent, to find out what material was covered, what assignments were given, and what announcements were made in class during the period of absence.

Because the university is concerned about the welfare of its students and wishes to provide assistance in case of absence for valid reasons, students are encouraged to notify the Office of Student Affairs in the event of an unusual series (three or more consecutive days) of absences due to serious health issues or personal reasons. The office will then notify instructors.

Each instructor is responsible for establishing a policy concerning cases in which regularly scheduled graded work is missed and for determining whether the reason for having missed such work is valid. If the instructor determines that a student has a valid reason for missing the work, the instructor may choose to give the student an opportunity to make it up or may, in exceptional cases, base the grade for the course on other work. In the event of a disagreement over the validity of the absence, the student may appeal to the instructor’s chairperson. When a student is directly participating in a university-sponsored program that takes him/her away from classes (e.g., athletics or research conference), the department sponsoring the program will provide the student with documentation indicating the activity in which the student is involved and the date(s) and time(s) of that involvement. Such participation will be considered a valid reason for missing the work. Thus, instructors should offer the student an opportunity to make up the work or may base the grade for the course on other work. In the event of a disagreement over the validity of the absence, the student may appeal to the instructor’s chairperson or supervisor.

If a student anticipates having to miss regularly scheduled graded work, the student should contact the instructor ahead of time. The instructor may expect the student to complete the work before the scheduled time when that is feasible.

If a student must be absent due to religious beliefs, he/she has the right to make up examinations, etc. In the same vein, professors may feel compelled to cancel an in-person class session to attend a religious observance or professional conference. Students might be asked to complete alternate assignments for that particular class session.