Class Excuse Policy

Officially sanctioned excuses from class originate from Health Service for reasons of verified illness, from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for major personal emergencies, and from the Office of the Chancellor for participation in official University activities (activities performed in the interest of the University.)

Illness (Handled by Health Services) Contact person: Janie Klein

Major Personal Emergencies (Handled by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs) Contact person: Melody Veenendaal

Please do not send your students to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for excuses of a personal nature when the decision can just as easily be made by you.

An official excuse from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs is issued for major emergencies (major illness in the family, court appearance, funeral, National Guard active duty, etc.), and is sent directly to the student's instructors. Faculty members need to understand that they retain the prerogative to excuse individual students from their class without an official excuse. It is up to the instructor to judge the validity of the request for an excused absence, which is almost always for personal reasons; and if an excuse is granted, to provide assistance in making up course work that has been missed.

University Activities (Handled by the Office of the Chancellor) Contact Person: Carrie Grussing

Official class excuses for students absent for a specified period of time because of participation in a regularly scheduled athletic contest, debate contest, music activity, etc., will originate from the Office of the Chancellor. To obtain an official excuse from our office for an individual or group to participate in a University trip or activity, a faculty/academic staff member or staff adviser needs to send an alphabetical listing of those students to be excused, the dates and times of their absence, and the reasons for their absence to the chancellor's office for approval at least three days in advance of the trip. To restrain the flood of paper, these notices will not automatically be sent to all faculty members. They will routinely be sent only to division offices where they will be posted. Further, since these listings are generally received in typed format, they will not be retyped but will be approved, copied, and forwarded to the division offices. A listing of students excused along with the reasons for their absence and the times and dates of absence will be maintained in this office and each division office. Faculty members may check these locations or division office files at any time to determine whether a student is or has been officially excused.