ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to attend each meeting of their registered courses. Experience demonstrates that regular attendance enhances academic success. However, the College recognizes that there are times when students may miss an occasional class, and has instituted a policy that takes this into consideration.

Student absences cannot exceed 20% of the course. There are NO EXCUSED ABSENCES under this policy. All absences are counted, regardless of the reason for the absence, including but not limited to field trips, illness, athletic trips, court appearances, and other personal reasons.

Students are responsible for keeping track of the number of their absences. Instructors are not required to notify a student orally or in writing if the student has excessive absences.

Students who do not meet the required attendance policy for a course will receive a grade of F for the course, unless the student withdraws from the course by the 60% mark of the course. After the 60% mark of the course if, in the judgment of the course instructor, a student has stopped attending class for valid reasons, the Documented Course Withdrawal Policy may apply.

Participation in classroom activities including lectures, films, guest speakers, class discussions, and group activities all contribute to student success in college level coursework. Instructors may include class participation as one component of evaluation and grading. Therefore, lack of attendance may influence your ability to do well in a course where participation is highly valued by the instructor.

The College’s detailed attendance policy is included in the Student Handbook. It is your responsibility to be aware of the attendance policy and your individual instructors’ policies on late or missing work. Failure to comply with the College attendance policy may result in dismissal from a course for poor attendance. If you are unable to attend classes on certain days because of religious beliefs, the following policy (Section 224-a of the Education Law as amended) applies:

You shall not be expelled from or be refused admission to an institution of higher education for the reason that you are unable, because of your religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirements on a particular day or days.

If you are unable, because of your religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days you shall, because of such absence on the particular day or days, be excused from any examination, study or work requirements.

• It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to make available to students who are absent from school, because of their religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements which they may have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such equivalent opportunity.
• If classes, examinations, study, or work requirements are held on Friday after 4:00 p.m. or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study, or work requirements shall be made available on other days when it is possible and practicable to do so. No special fees shall be charged for these classes, examinations, study, or work requirements held on other days.
• In effectuating the provisions of this section, it shall be the duty of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each institution of higher education to exercise the fullest measure of good faith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to you because of your availing yourself of the provisions of this section.
• If you are aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty or administrative official to comply in good faith with the provisions of this section, you shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding in the supreme court of the county in which such institution of higher education is located for the enforcement of your rights under this section.

As used in this section, the term institution of higher education shall mean schools under the control of the board of trustees of the State University of New York or of the board of higher education of the City of New York or any community college.

ATTENDANCE POLICY IN ONLINE COURSES

Attendance in an online course is defined as an active post or submission within the course including discussions, written assignments, and tests. This standard will be used to determine all attendance issues, including but not limited to report of never having attended, reports of last date of attendance, and final grades of F in the course, due to lack of attendance.

IN A COURSE THAT MEETS FOR THE FULL SEMESTER

A COURSE THAT MEETS FOR FIVE WEEKS

Once the student has exceeded these total absences, the student will receive an F for the course.
Students enrolled in a course that meets for other than the full semester or 5 week sessions will receive an F for the course after they exceed 20% of the scheduled class meetings.

A stricter alternative attendance policy may be applied within a curriculum, with the approval of the division and the Vice President of Academic Affairs. An instructor will notify students in writing when it is necessary to apply a more restrictive and approved policy due to educational requirements.

LATENESS AND LEAVING CLASS EARLY

If a student is late for class or leaves before the class is over, or if a student leaves class and returns during the class, the instructor at his or her discretion may consider that student absent. Students are required to wait a minimum of ten minutes before leaving a class if an instructor is not present at the beginning of a class period, unless instructed otherwise.