Centenary College believes that regular attendance of all classes is integral to student success and achievement. Showing up for ourselves and others is a high priority at Centenary; it is a pillar of sustaining an engaging community.

Students

Students are responsible for adhering to the attendance policy in each of their courses, for gathering and mastering material covered during an absence, and for proactively communicating with instructors about absences.

Instructors

Instructors must establish their own attendance policy and provide it on the syllabus on the first day of class.

Instructors should design an attendance policy that fosters student responsibility and reasonably accommodates absences when students must miss a graded component of class. Instructors should avoid penalizing a student for an absence due to a college-sponsored activity*, serious or infectious illness, religious observance, or unexpected emergency, provided the student consults with the instructor in a timely manner.

Instructors are encouraged to report concerns about a student’s attendance to student support services as early as possible. If a student misses more than three times the number of scheduled class periods per week over the fourteen-week semester (e.g. in classes that meet 3 days a week, students may miss no more than 9 times), then instructors may choose to assign a grade of XF.

Sponsors

Sponsors of college activities are responsible for making schedules known to students as early as possible, so that the students can work proactively with their instructors. Sponsors should work to minimize the amount of time a student must miss class. In addition, sponsors should avoid penalizing a student who chooses to prioritize class over college activities.

*College-sponsored activities are activities initiated, authorized, and supervised by the College, or that involve representation of the College. Some examples include athletic competitions, research conferences, choir performances, class field trips, and SGA conferences.

Adopted April 2022