Undergraduate Catalog
Attendance
Policies
Students are responsible for satisfying all academic objectives as defined by the instructor. Absences count from the first class meeting.
In general, acceptable reasons for absence from class include illness, serious family emergencies, special curricular requirements (e.g., judging trips, field trips, professional conferences), military obligation, severe weather conditions, religious holidays and participation in official university activities such as music performances, athletic competition or debate. Absences from class for court-imposed legal obligations (e.g., jury duty or subpoena) must be excused. Other reasons also may be approved.
Students may not attend classes unless they are registered officially or approved to audit with evidence of having paid audit fees. Following the end of drop/add, the Office of the University Registrar provides official class rolls/addenda to instructors. Students who do not attend at least one of the first two class meetings of a course or laboratory in which they are registered, and who have not contacted the department to indicate their intent, may be dropped from the course. Students must not assume that they will be dropped if they fail to attend the first few days of class. The department will notify students dropped from courses or laboratories by posting a notice in the department office. Students may request reinstatement on a space-available basis if documented evidence is presented.
The university recognizes the right of the individual professor to make attendance mandatory. After due warning, professors may prohibit further attendance and subsequently assign a failing grade for excessive absences.
Religious Holidays
The Florida Board of Education and state law govern university policy regarding observance of religious holidays:
- Students, upon prior notification of their instructors, shall be excused from class or other scheduled academic activity to observe a religious holy day of their faith.
- Students shall be permitted a reasonable amount of time to make up the material or activities covered in their absence.
- Students shall not be penalized due to absence from class or other scheduled academic activity because of religious observances.
If a faculty member is informed of or is aware that a significant number of students are likely to be absent from his or her classroom because of a religious observance, a major exam or other academic event should not be scheduled at that time.
A student who is to be excused from class for a religious observance is not required to provide a second party certification of the reasons for the absence. Furthermore, a student who believes that he or she has been unreasonably denied an education benefit due to religious beliefs or practices may seek redress through the student grievance procedure.
Illness Policy
Students who are absent from classes or examinations because of illness should contact their professors. The student should contact his or her college by the deadline to drop a course for medical reasons. After the college petition deadline, students may petition the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Petitions to drop a course for medical reasons. The University’s policy regarding medical excuse notes can be found in the Student Affairs section of the catalog under Student Health Care Center.
Twelve-Day Rule
Students who participate in athletic or extracurricular activities are permitted to be absent 12 scholastic days per semester without penalty. (A scholastic day is any day on which regular class work is scheduled.) Instructors must be flexible when scheduling exams or other class assignments.
The 12-day rule applies to individual students participating on an athletic or scholastic team. Consequently, a group’s schedule that requires absence of more than 12 days should be adjusted so that no student is absent from campus more than 12 scholastic days.
Students who previously have been warned for absences or unsatisfactory work should not incur additional absences, even if they have not been absent 12 scholastic days. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain satisfactory academic performance and attendance.
Reading Days
The two days before the start of examinations in the fall and spring semesters, generally a Thursday and Friday, are designated reading days. No classes or exams are held on these days. Instead, students are encouraged to use these days for study and review. There are no reading days in the summer terms because examinations are given during regular class periods.
Examination Policies
Final examinations are determined by course meeting times, except for certain large courses. No student is required to take more than three final exams in one day. The University Curriculum Committee must approve all changes in the published examination schedule.
During-term examinations may be held during the regular class time or assembly exams may be held Monday-Friday from 7:00-9:45 p.m. (periods E1-E2) for the summer terms and Monday-Friday from 8:20-10:10 p.m. (periods E2-E3) for the fall and spring terms. If other classes are scheduled during an exam time, instructors must provide make-up class work for students who miss class because of an assembly exam.
If two exams are scheduled at the same time, assembly exams take priority over time-of-class exams. When two assembly exams or two time-of-class exams conflict, the course with the higher number will take priority. Instructors giving make-up exams will make the necessary adjustments.