1. General
The resources of the University are provided for the intellectual growth and development of its students. It is expected that students should attend class regularly. There are two formal institutional regulations regarding class attendance: (1) Regent’s Test Preparation course attendance policy (see appropriate sections of this handbook); and (2) Veterans’ attendance policy, delineated below.
2. Class Attendance by Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs requires that institutions of higher learning immediately report to them when a student discontinues attendance. Georgia State University institutional policy requires that professors report the absence of a veteran student as soon as it is known that the student will not be returning to class. Generally, this should be reported after one week of absences and no later than two weeks of nonattendance by a student.
3. Student Absences
All matters related to student absences, including the making up of work missed, are to be arranged between the student and the professor. All professors will, at the beginning of each semester, make a clear statement in the course syllabus to each of their classes, describing their policies for handling absences. Professors also will be responsible for counseling with their students regarding the academic consequences of absences from their classes or laboratories. Students are obligated to adhere to the requirements of each course and of each professor.
4. Quizzes, Lab Periods and Final Exams
Students must be present for announced quizzes, laboratory periods, or final examinations unless the reasons for the absence are acceptable to the professors concerned, with the exception of University approved activities. Students who are absent because of participation in approved University activities (such as academic and selected/governance events and athletic events) will be permitted to make up the work missed during their absences, provided that no more than 15% of class hours per course per semester are missed. Any absence exceeding the 15% allotted must be approved in advance by the faculty. If requested, the appropriate University official will provide a memo stating the official nature of the business in advance of the activity. Faculty are encouraged to take into consideration religious holidays of the student’s faith, summons, jury duty or other similar compelling reasons for absence.
Adopted fall 1998, Student Life and Development Committee University Senate
