Important Information for Faculty: Class Attendance
Do students really have to attend my class?
The ABA - our accrediting body - requires "regular and punctual class attendance." Furthermore, most classes rely on the participation of students. The student who doesn't show regularly deprives her teacher and classmates of the benefit of her insights as well as all the great experience that she listed as part of her application for admission. ("I have a lot to offer to Loyola....")
Furthermore, law school at Loyola isn't a correspondence school. A diploma certifies that the graduate is prepared to enter the profession - not simply that she can pass an exam. If a student has skipped too many classes, it is within your right to withhold the final exam or a final grade from the student which results in the grade of "WF" (withdraw failing).
What do I do if a student is missing my class?
Don't ignore it. Often missing class is a symptom of a bigger problem. If a student is cutting your class, it is likely that he/she is also not attending other classes. Bring class attendance problems to the attention of Jean Gaspardo, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, at (312) 915-7886 or jgaspar@luc.edu. She'll see if it's a problem in other classes as well.
Jean may bring the student in to try to get to the root of the problem. Typical problems range from money and work to drugs to love stories to bad judgment to simple arrogance. Each case is different. Jean tries to provide realistic options to students without compromising class requirements. (Often, we permit a troubled student to withdraw from the semester without any penalty whatsoever. They gain time to "get their lives together" and are normally greatly relieved.)
It's a lot easier to enforce an attendance policy if the message is clear from the beginning of the semester. Don't wait until the end of the semester to do something. Announce your attendance policy at the first class. Restate it at the second class. It's best if you have stated your attendance policy in class and in your syllabus (see above).
When you detect an attendance problem, write the student a letter that clearly and firmly expresses your expectation for attendance until the end of the semester. ("If you miss one more class, I will not permit you to take the final exam.") Keep a copy of the letter and enforce your expectations.
