The more class sessions students miss, the greater the chances that grades may suffer. Regular attendance in class and laboratory sessions is an obligation assumed by every student at the time of registration. Regular attendance affords the student the opportunity to acquire the content of the specific session and, over the length of the course, the continuity of the professors plan for the presentation of the subject matter in the course.
Absence means nonattendance for whatever reason.
It is the perogative of the professor to determine when absences are excessive. A guideline used by many professors to determine when absences are considered excessive is when the student has been absent twice the number of clock hours that the class meets during a week, or a pro-rata value designed to relate to shorter than semester length courses or practicum intensive programs. This is strictly a guideline and will vary with each professor depending on the subject matter of the course or laboratory. The professor will only drop a student from a course if absences, in the opinion of the professor, have placed the student's success in jeopardy. If the student believes that there were extenuating circumstances related to the absences which resulted in being dropped from a course, the student may petition the Academic Standards and Policies Committee within five academic calendar days.