3.5 Attendance Policy
Related Minnesota State Board Policy: None
Related Minnesota State Board Procedure: None
Purpose: To align with the college’s student code of conduct regarding class attendance.
Part 1: Expectations of Students. Students are expected to attend class and complete all coursework. If circumstances arise that will preclude the student from doing so, it is the student’s responsibility to work with the instructor in advance, whenever possible, to make alternate arrangements.
Part 2: Administration
Subpart A: Student Complaint Process. If a student believes that a course’s attendance policy has negatively impacted the course grade and they were not made aware of the possible ramifications in advance, they may file a complaint with the academic dean of the division in which the course is taught.
Subpart B: Final Decision. The dean will render a decision on the complaint. A student who is unhappy with the decision may appeal to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. The decision of the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs regarding student complaints is final.
Part 3: Last Date of Attendance. Federal regulations require faculty to report attendance information for students who have not officially dropped or withdrawn from a class but stopped attending or never attended. A student who is reported to have stopped attending will be assigned a grade of FW or NC for that class, and a student who is reported to have never attended will be assigned a grade of FN or NC. Students are responsible for dropping or withdrawing from classes they do not intend to complete. A student who is assigned a grade of FN, FW, or NC may change their grade to W, provided they request the withdrawal on or before the withdrawal deadline, as reflected in the course information in eServices. In such cases, the grade will change to a W, but the faculty reported last date of attendance will remain the same.
Part 4: Class Cancellation. The college may cancel a class before the start of a term due to low enrollment or for other reasons. Students will not be charged tuition and fees for courses that have been cancelled. Individual class meetings may be cancelled because of weather or other reasons.
Policy History:
Date of Adoption: 12/28/11
Department Owner: Registration / Financial Aid
Date and Subject of Revisions:
09/17/2018:
Reviewed and revised.
Changed “MnSCU” to “Minnesota State.”
02/19/2019:
Revised Part 3 to define never attended and last day of attendance reporting.
Removed Part 4, Accommodation of Religious Observation
Separated Part 5 into two subparts to distinguish between a class cancelled for an entire term and a class cancelled for a day.
Next Review Date: March 19, 2022