I. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
G. STUDENT ATTENDANCE POLICY
S tudents are required to attend class. The following statement appears in the current PLNU Catalog .
Regular and punctual attendance at all classes in which a student is registered is considered essential to optimum academic achievement. Therefore, regular attendance and participation in each course are minimal requirements to be met. There are no allowed or excused absences except when absences are necessitated by certain university-sponsored activities and are approved in writing by the Provost.
Whenever the number of accumulated absences in a class, for any cause, exceeds ten percent of classes (this is equivalent to one and one-half weeks or longer in a 16-week semester course), the faculty member sends a written report to the Associate Provost for Academic Administration, which may result in de-enrollment. (The De-enrollment Notice is available from the department assistant or can be accessed from the PLNU Website -- click on the Faculty and Staff link on PLNU's home Web page; then click on Forms Central.) If more than 20% (three weeks or longer in a semester-long course) is reported as missed, the student will automatically be de-enrolled. If the date of the de-enrollment is past the last date to withdraw from a class, the student will be assigned a grade of "F" or "NC."
Absences are counted from the first official meeting of the class regardless of the date of the student's enrollment. A student who registers late must monitor carefully regular attendance during the remainder of the semester. Registered students who neither attend the first class session nor inform the faculty of their desire to remain on the class roll may, at the request of the instructor, be dropped from the roll.
Exceptions to the foregoing attendance regulations due to extenuating circumstances may be granted only by appeal to the Vice Provost for Academic Administration. Students should consult the syllabus of each course for specific applications of and elaborations on the above attendance policy.
While the Provost does not excuse students from class in emergency situations (deaths, accidents, etc.), the Provost's office issues from time to time explanations of student absences. The student is always responsible directly to the instructor to keep current in course requirements.
It is assumed that PLNU faculty will handle such situations with warmth and compassion, but also with a willingness to help the student meet the requirements of the class.
