Attendance Philosophy Please read so you understand my attendance philosophy and how it works Suppose Tom works for ABC Industries. ABC expects Tom to work for all days they assign him work. ABC then pays Tom for his days worked. ABC will also pay Tom for a limited number of days per year Tom is absent because of sickness or personal reasons. If Tom uses up his sick and personal days and is absent from work, for whatever reason, Tom does not get paid. Obviously ABC will not continue to pay Tom indefinitely if he does not work. Finally, if Tom is absent for an excessive number of days, Tom may lose his job, be suspended, demoted, etc. My absence policy works the same way

Part 1. I expect students to attend 100 percent of the time. (Yes, one hundred percent.) However, I will "pay you" an up to three extra course points if you attend regularly. That is, I give everyone typically five "sick or personal days." to earn from one to three extra points. If you are absent more than five days (not counting exam days), for whatever reason, you cannot earn (get "paid") any extra points. Notice that I am not penalizing students but giving rewards to those who attend regularly. You can earn your desired course grade without any extra points. (My grading scale does not depend on students receiving an extra point.) Nevertheless, I cannot "pay" students beyond the allocated five days. You cannot "earn pay for work not done, no matter what the reason. (At the end of the term, if you fall short of the next higher grade by a few points, these extra points may give you the next higher grade. But, you must "earn" these points. I will not grant extra absences to allow you to earn the next higher grade.) Part 2. I have a second absence rule that is very different but similar to excessive days missed by Tom working for ABC Industries. If a student is absent for an excessive number of days (one-third of the time or more—usually more than eleven absences in Fall or Spring terms), I will lower their course grade an amount depending on the number of excessive absences. This should not be a problem for most students. If "extraordinary" or "critical circumstances" (e.g., extended sickness or hospitalization) causes a student to have excessive absences, the student must discuss such conditions with me as soon as possible. This must be done before the term ends. In these cases, students may need to either petition to drop the course or arrange with me to receive an "I" grade. Do not assume, however, you can make up your own rules—we must both agree on what procedure you will follow to erase the incomplete grade. (I can only give incomplete grades under special circumstances that follow department and university rules.) And, if you later petition to drop the course and have not had conferences with me to discuss and try to resolve your problems, I may not approve the petition.

So, do not miss classes for frivolous reasons (oversleeping, don't want to come, etc.). Remember, like ABC Industries, I do not grant extra days off beyond what I already allocate no matter the excuse. For Whatever Reason All absence count toward the five "sick or personal days" including absences taken for illnesses, funerals, marriages, personal holidays, university events, etc. If you use up your personal days, for whatever reason, and have additional absences, for whatever reason, you cannot be paid extra points. Example: Joe misses five class days because he overslept or just decided not to attend. Joe then realizes he must attend an official university event and will miss his AST 1002 class. Too bad. Joe will now have six absences and cannot earn any "bonus" points. If Joe had not used up his five allocated absences for foolish reasons, missing class for the official university event might have allowed him to earn one or more extra points. Missed Classes Students who miss classes are still responsible for all course work missed. Still Do Not Understand? If you still do not understand my attendance rules or have further questions, please see me. Class Attendance Sheet Finally, please realize that you must initial the attendance sheet in class. You cannot do so later since I may not know if you were present. I may remember that certain students were in class but I cannot possibly remember everyone. Therefore, do not forget to initial the attendance sheet every day. "I forgot" is not a valid excuse. And, if you leave class early without giving me a good reason, I have the option of not counting your attendance for the day. Return to Attendance Page