Marianne Ahokas' Policy for a MWF Section:
It’s important in a workshop style course that students attend class regularly; I will take attendance at each session. Everyone is entitled to miss four classes to allow for the contingencies of life--no explanations, no apologies necessary. Miss a fifth class and your final grade will suffer; if you miss seven (the equivalent of more than two weeks of class time), you will fail the course. On the other hand, final grades will
benefit from perfect attendance, particularly borderline grades. Use your allotted absences wisely. The only exceptions that can be made to this policy are for students in good standing in the class with personal emergencies supported by legal or medical documentation. Please be warned: these are program policies, not mine, and they are non-negotiable. If you know now that you have other serious commitments that will require you to miss more than six classes, let me know now so we can decide if something can be worked out.

Tracy Duckart's Policy for a MWF Section:
We have only fifteen short weeks together, and we have quite a bit to accomplish in that time. Please plan to attend every class session. Although you are allowed four absences without penalty—to accommodate special circumstances—five absences will lower your course grade by one full letter, and six absences will result in a failing grade for the course.

I can make small exceptions to this rule only if you have satisfactorily completed all course requirements to date and if you have been absent in the case of documented illness or emergency only (so apprise me promptly of your illness or emergency). Use your absences carefully, please, and keep track of your attendance because while I appreciate the rigors of university life, I cannot grant college credit unless you do the work of the course--and that includes consistent attendance.

I expect punctual attendance: Disrupting your colleagues and me by arriving late is both unprofessional and rude. I will take attendance on the hour; if you arrive late, you will be marked absent, so you must see me after class to inform me of your arrival. If you arrive more than ten minutes late, you will not receive credit for that class session. Frequent tardiness will radically lower your course grade, and chronic tardiness will result in a failing grade for the course.

You are responsible for the information you miss due to absence and late arrival. This responsibility includes polling your classmates--not me--to gather missed information. While I am happy to provide clarification, I am unwilling to recreate a class session for an audience of one. An additional word to the wise: unless you want to see me at my most grumpy, please avoid asking me if you "missed anything important." Thank you.

The Good News: Perfect attendance will benefit borderline grades, and perfect attendance and preparedness for Endorsement Group sessions will earn you extra credit.

Fall 2004

Chris Lee's Policy for a TR Section:
Obviously, forty-five hours (3 hours per week x 15 weeks in the semester) isn’t very much time to cover everything that should be covered by this kind of course. That’s why you must attend class to succeed. ACCORDING TO COMPOSITION PROGRAM POLICY, FOUR ABSENCES = AN F FOR THE COURSE. However, since every absence robs you of that day’s writing practice and discussion and robs your classmates and me of your contribution to our practice and discussion, even fewer than four absences may hurt your grade in the participation section of the course (20%). Here’s the lowdown:

• You may be absent two times with no penalty at all.
• The third absence will diminish your participation grade by half (this is one full letter grade for the entire course).
• On your fourth absence, as mentioned above, you receive an F for the course.

Lateness to class is also important, because it distracts those of us who are here on time. Of course I understand that occasionally it’s unavoidable, for me as well as you, but if I detect an established pattern of lateness, I will reduce your participation grade. If this pattern becomes chronic, I will begin to consider each late arrival an absence (but I will notify you before I begin to do this).

The good news is that if you are passing the class with good progress and you need to miss for reasons of unavoidable illness or emergency and you notify me as soon as possible, I can make an exception to the absence rules above. In other words, I’m happy to work with you as long as you communicate with me promptly. Also, keep in mind that I will definitely consider your attendance and participation when I am deciding what to do about borderline grades.

Fall 2004

Jolien Olsen's Policy for a TR Section:
Because success in this course depends upon response groups and class participation, you must:

• participate actively and positively in class
• come prepared with up-to-date work
  obtain class notes and handouts if you miss a class
• attend classes and labs (you are permitted only 1 absence; additional
  absences impact your grade)
  • 0-1 absence = A | 2 = B | 3 = C for attendance grade
  • 4 absences, chronic tardiness, disruptiveness, and/or underpreparedness
    results in a course grade of "F"
• be on time to each class session (disrupting class by arriving late is unprofessional and rude)

Fall 2004