Can a College drop you from a class for being absent?

[00darkfox00]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? PA

So today I was told that I have 3 absences in a class and needed to go to disability services with my issues to get them excused otherwise the class would be dropped, I know this is school policy, but to me this seems arbitrary, I paid with a private student loan, so what gives the college the right to cease providing a service to me that I have already paid for? I was told there have been issues with students getting free government loans and living off of them and not attending classes but if my loan is private I don't understand how this would matter to me.

I'm not disrupting the class by missing anything, in fact, I have never bothered the professor to explain what I missed, I catch up on my own, so I cannot understand why this policy exists. Im not looking to fight this legally but I may talk to someone from the college after I take care of my current issue.

Anyway, I'm willing to see how I may be in the wrong in this situation, but to me this seems like I'm being taken advantage of, I have issues sleeping and with anxiety so I realize now I should have brought this up to disability services earlier, so, is this policy arbitrary, illegal, or unethical, or am I missing something?

edit: Someone told me that this policy exists because you're a representative of the school and missing 3 classes would mean you don't know the material and therefore are a poor representative, but this argument to me assumes that the school has no faith that their classes adequately test the material you know and grade you appropriately, 3 classes can be made up using the textbook, asking other students and using their online resources, so again, I don't understand.

Thank you for your help

 

[CdwJava]

If you knew this was a policy, how come you missed the three classes?

As for being arbitrary, it would seem not. The standard is neither subjective nor random. It spells out a policy indicating that three absences means you are dropped from the class. But, they also appear to have a process by which you can appeal the drop. If you were legitimately ill or had some other good reason, I suspect you till be okay. If you missed the class because you were hungover, tired, or otherwise blew it off, not so much.

If this is a policy you do not like, you can certainly find a school where there exists no such policy. Perhaps it is time to transfer?

Whether you agree with the policy is not the issue so much as it is a policy that you were aware of. It may seem silly to you, to me, to everyone on these forums (though I doubt that's the case), but they have it in place for a reason and they appear to be sticking by their policy on this. I suspect part of it may be to inecntive students to actually attend classes they sign up for because some other student that may have needed the class was unable to take it because your warm body was there first and then you decided to blow it off. It can be a frustrating thing to not get a class and have to add a year to school just to snatch up needed courses at the end that you could not get earlier on.

Whatever the reason, follow the procedure to appeal the drop and do it quick. In the future, sign up for classes you intend to attend or transfer to a school where there is no such policy and where the professors will not penalize you for missing courses. My policy for classes has been that I will provide info in lectures that will be on an examination, and if you are not in attendance, there is a good chance that you will not obtain that information. So, you can miss class if you choose, but, you do so at your own peril (your grade).

 

[00darkfox00]

If you knew this was a policy, how come you missed the three classes?

As for being arbitrary, it would seem not. The standard is neither subjective nor random. It spells out a policy indicating that three absences means you are dropped from the class. But, they also appear to have a process by which you can appeal the drop. If you were legitimately ill or had some other good reason, I suspect you till be okay. If you missed the class because you were hungover, tired, or otherwise blew it off, not so much.

If this is a policy you do not like, you can certainly find a school where there exists no such policy. Perhaps it is time to transfer?

Whether you agree with the policy is not the issue so much as it is a policy that you were aware of. It may seem silly to you, to me, to everyone on these forums (though I doubt that's the case), but they have it in place for a reason and they appear to be sticking by their policy on this. I suspect part of it may be to inecntive students to actually attend classes they sign up for because some other student that may have needed the class was unable to take it because your warm body was there first and then you decided to blow it off. It can be a frustrating thing to not get a class and have to add a year to school just to snatch up needed courses at the end that you could not get earlier on.

Whatever the reason, follow the procedure to appeal the drop and do it quick. In the future, sign up for classes you intend to attend or transfer to a school where there is no such policy and where the professors will not penalize you for missing courses. My policy for classes has been that I will provide info in lectures that will be on an examination, and if you are not in attendance, there is a good chance that you will not obtain that information. So, you can miss class if you choose, but, you do so at your own peril (your grade).

I was going to transfer but im already in a contract to live on campus on my last year, the idea that you're taking up a seat in class that could go to someone else makes sense, at the time I knew of the policy I figured I wouldnt have to miss any classes but some things came up, and hopefully they'll understand when I explain it to them. Thanks for your input

 

[Ohiogal]

Don't attempt to go to grad school. If you miss three classes, say in law school, you will AUTOMATICALLY fail the class regardless of how you do on the tests. And if you fail the class, guess what? You need to pass. Should I continue? So yeah, a school can drop you for being absent. It happens.

 

[davew128]

If its a stated policy, then absent compelling circumstances I'm not seeing a problem. As a practical matter I agree that grad school level courses you don't miss classes unless you must, but lord knows I only showed up at freshman business calculus to take the exams. Being in the classroom was not necessary for my A.

 

[CdwJava]

If its a stated policy, then absent compelling circumstances I'm not seeing a problem. As a practical matter I agree that grad school level courses you don't miss classes unless you must, but lord knows I only showed up at freshman business calculus to take the exams. Being in the classroom was not necessary for my A.

While I have not seen a specific absence policy from a college I have been associated with as a student or employee, I have known instructors/professors who have had such policies. I prefer to present information and sometimes in-class assignments as a way to encourage attendance - but, that's me.

 

[davew128]

While I have not seen a specific absence policy from a college I have been associated with as a student or employee, I have known instructors/professors who have had such policies. I prefer to present information and sometimes in-class assignments as a way to encourage attendance - but, that's me.

I think those types of policies exist more in courses that are more advanced than say, a required class for all freshman business majors.

 

[commentator]

In my experiences with higher education, it appeared that the teachers set attendance policies, and those who had very strict attendance policies were usually the ones who would have had empty classrooms if they had not had them. The best teachers had no mandatory attendance policies. But that was long ago and far away and in under grad courses, usually general ones required for all so and so majors. But once grad school happens, and very much more in post grad courses, you are in some serious business, and if you miss, you lose your spot and flunk out, and it was probably difficult to get in in the first place.

That this person has not bothered to contact the teacher and try to catch up makes it seem that he has no value for the material being offered in class. And that's not really a good place to be, sleep disorder or whatever. Everyone who is in the class has "already paid for it" whether they did so using student loans or out of their pockets, so I don't see why this should get you any extra consideration.

 

[stealth2]

My daughter's college has a strict attendance policy. Absences are reported to advisers and coaches (as appropriate). Granted it is a very small school (tiny). I believe three absences (w/o discussing w/the prof) found the student both dropped and placed on academic probation. On the one hand - I think it's a good policy, especially for freshmen. On the other hand - I think the kids need to learn to sink or swim. But... I know she got locked out of a few classes over the years, only to have a student booted for not attending - and it was too late by then. Which kind of stinks.

But.... profs tend to be flexible when approached about issues. She took a week off of classes the other week as her young man had knee surgery and she was caring for him. Spoke with every prof ahead of time, got the week's lectures and work, etc. The size of the school helps in that regard (as does her athletic status) - everyone knows her.

p.s. Am I the only one having trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that she is graduating in May?

 

[commentator]

They do sneak around and grow up on you, don't they? It's like that "kodack moment" thing they used to play, "turn around, and they're tiny, turn around and they're grown..." la de da da.....

I have always maintained that a huge part of obtaining a college degree and being a college educated person, as opposed to not, is that you have learned to deal with all the minutae, the red tape, the admissions requirements, the financing, the personality conflicts, all the aspects of registering, paying, getting to class, getting along with the teacher, doing the work, passing the classes, organizing them into a structure whereby one obtains the degree by taking a series of said classes in the appropriate order, applying for graduation, paying one's fines and fees for graduation....etc.

When you start working with the less educated, this is what you notice immediately. They are helpless and incoherent when forced to deal with the red tape of their lives. Being smart enough to swallow and then regurgitate written course material is only a very small part of becoming educated.

 

[00darkfox00]

In my experiences with higher education, it appeared that the teachers set attendance policies, and those who had very strict attendance policies were usually the ones who would have had empty classrooms if they had not had them. The best teachers had no mandatory attendance policies. But that was long ago and far away and in under grad courses, usually general ones required for all so and so majors. But once grad school happens, and very much more in post grad courses, you are in some serious business, and if you miss, you lose your spot and flunk out, and it was probably difficult to get in in the first place.

That this person has not bothered to contact the teacher and try to catch up makes it seem that he has no value for the material being offered in class. And that's not really a good place to be, sleep disorder or whatever. Everyone who is in the class has "already paid for it" whether they did so using student loans or out of their pockets, so I don't see why this should get you any extra consideration.

You obviously didn't read my post if you didn't notice I said I caught up on my own using the textbooks and online resources (some Professors explicitly told me not to contact them for missed work), besides what am I supposed to do? Tell them I have insomnia? Now-a-days that's like saying you have OCD because you eat your food clockwise on your plate. No one would take you seriously unless you have it officially documented, I could do that but the cut off for the documentation is about a year so Id have to go find some sleep clinic to reevaluate me with money I dont have.

Im not saying I deserve special consideration, Im saying the policy itself is unethical, not just for me, but for everyone.

edit: For example, lets say you paid for a gym membership for a year but because you didn't show up for X amount of time they cancel your membership without a refund, the only person you're hurting in that situation is yourself, so why is it ok for a school to do this?

 

[justalayman]

You obviously didn't read my post if you didn't notice I said I caught up on my own using the textbooks and online resources (some Professors explicitly told me not to contact them for missed work), besides what am I supposed to do? Tell them I have insomnia? Now-a-days that's like saying you have OCD because you eat your food clockwise on your plate. No one would take you seriously unless you have it officially documented, I could do that but the cut off for the documentation is about a year so Id have to go find some sleep clinic to reevaluate me with money I dont have.

Im not saying I deserve special consideration, Im saying the policy itself is unethical, not just for me, but for everyone.

edit: For example, lets say you paid for a gym membership for a year but because you didn't show up for X amount of time they cancel your membership without a refund, the only person you're hurting in that situation is yourself, so why is it ok for a school to do this?

It matters not if you are hurting another or not. If that is the policy and you registered for these classes knowing that is the policy then you have no basis to complain now.

If you didn't want to be subject to the policy then you should not have registered for those classes.

 

[TheGeekess]

You obviously didn't read my post if you didn't notice I said I caught up on my own using the textbooks and online resources (some Professors explicitly told me not to contact them for missed work), besides what am I supposed to do? Tell them I have insomnia? Now-a-days that's like saying you have OCD because you eat your food clockwise on your plate. No one would take you seriously unless you have it officially documented, I could do that but the cut off for the documentation is about a year so Id have to go find some sleep clinic to reevaluate me with money I dont have.

Im not saying I deserve special consideration, Im saying the policy itself is unethical, not just for me, but for everyone.

edit: For example, lets say you paid for a gym membership for a year but because you didn't show up for X amount of time they cancel your membership without a refund, the only person you're hurting in that situation is yourself, so why is it ok for a school to do this?

Because they have to pay the instructor, pay the electricity & internet bill, the groundskeeper, the cleaning person.... I've been to several different colleges, and they've all had attendance policies. You don't attend, you lose your investment (aka tuition).

If you want to blame someone, look in the mirror and tell yourself that YOU wasted that money and it's not the school's fault, but YOURS. Take responsibility for your own behavior/actions and stop looking for someone else to blame, cause there is no-one else.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

I am sometimes up for a day or two at a time. The trick is you stay awake until you have met your responsibility then you go home and crash because you wanted to fall asleep 7 hours earlier. Real life employment is the same way. Those pesky buggers give you a work schedule and expect you to show up or be fired.

 

[stealth2]

They do sneak around and grow up on you, don't they? It's like that "kodack moment" thing they used to play, "turn around, and they're tiny, turn around and they're grown..." la de da da.....

They do, and it is simply wrong.

No, not really. I have maintained throughout every phase that "it can't get better than this!", yet, it always does. I actually love being the parent to adults. I can finally breathe (a little, given my parents now live with me LOL), but there is a different joy to adult children. It's nice to see the fruit of one's labors.

I have always maintained that a huge part of obtaining a college degree and being a college educated person, as opposed to not, is that you have learned to deal with all the minutae, the red tape, the admissions requirements, the financing, the personality conflicts, all the aspects of registering, paying, getting to class, getting along with the teacher, doing the work, passing the classes, organizing them into a structure whereby one obtains the degree by taking a series of said classes in the appropriate order, applying for graduation, paying one's fines and fees for graduation....etc.

True. I have been very lucky with both of mine insisting on handling their own stuff. From SATs and applications, to choosing classes/majors, dealing with housing (both the space and the roommates) and so on and so forth - both insisted on handling it on their own. Caused a lot of conflict w/their Dad as he insisted he should be involved (and I couldn't make him understand that *I* wasn't really involved, either!), and they weren't having it. But I think I did well as both are very independent young people.

When you start working with the less educated, this is what you notice immediately. They are helpless and incoherent when forced to deal with the red tape of their lives. Being smart enough to swallow and then regurgitate written course material is only a very small part of becoming educated.

I know quite a few less educated folks, and most are able to handle things well. Well..... the older ones are. Life experience. The younger ones..... not so much. Although, I know quite a few college kids who are rather clueless. Most have helicopter parents.