5.1 Attendance

Students are expected to attend every class (according to the Seton Hill University Catalog).

What to Do When You Must Miss a Class

• Consult this website to find out what is scheduled.
  
• Consult a classmate and arrange to get notes, handouts, etc. (After you have first checked with a classmate, I will be happy to answer any specific questions, by e-mail or in person, about what you missed.)
• Download and email me a completed "Absence Form" (available at http://jerz.setonhill.edu/teaching/Absence.doc) as soon as is reasonably possible.
  
  • For instance, if your coach announces a change in the team schedule, I think it's reasonable for you to let me know of any conflicts by the next day.
  • If you have a personal emergency, once the immediate crisis is over, I think it's reasonable for you to tell me by the next day.
  The point of the form is to document your good-faith effort to keep up with the course material despite your absence.

• Meet the deadlines. Submit your work before you leave on a trip, or submit it while you're on the road. (There is a space to explain any extenuating circumstances on the "Absence Form," but my assumption is that a scheduled absence from class does not warrant any sort of extension.)
  
• Note: It may not be possible to make up some assignments or class activities.

• one or two non-consecutive absences: zero for in-class activities missed (unless your Absence Form proposes and you complete acceptable make-up assignments within one week)
• two consecutive absences, or four total absences: zero for in-class activities, and final grade lowered by two-thirds of a letter grade (unless your Absence Form proposes and you complete acceptable make-up assignments within one week)
• three consecutive absences, or a total of five absences during the semester: final grade reported as F
  
• To clear that F and complete the class normally, you must submit a written request to remain in the class.
• Include any evidence that will help me decide in your favor.
  

• Late arrivals, early departures, and lack of participation may accrue as absences.
• Please don't skip class after pulling an all-nighter to complete an assignment for this class. I will not only record your absence, but also count the assignment as one day late anyway.
• You'd be better off going to sleep, coming to class on time, and turning in the assignment a day late.
  
• You'll still get a one-day late penalty, but you won't be a sleep-deprived zombie and you won't have an absence on your record. (I'm not doing this "just to be mean," but rather to give you some extra motivation to make the better choice.)
  
• If there is insufficient time for us to agree upon an acceptable alternative assignment, or if an approved alternative assignment is unsatisfactory, then I may report the missed work as a zero.