Senate Bill 15-16-03
| Bill ID: | 15-16-03 |
| Name: | Request for Extension of the Excused Absence Policy for Military Service |
| Proposed: | 07/21/2015 |
| Sponsor: | Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, Chair, Veterans Services Steering Committee |
| Proposal: | On behalf of the University of Maryland's Veterans Steering Committee, I would like to propose a change to the Excused Absence Policy for Assessment/Examinations. Current students who are members of the National Guard, Reserves, or Active Duty military may be called up for emergency situations, such as the recent Baltimore Riots. When these situations occur, students who are members of the military may be called up at a moment's notice in order to respond. Depending on the discretion of the individual professors/instructors, students who are military members may not be afforded an excused absence during these trying times. Military service is not listed under the current excused absence policy. The discretion falls under "and compelling circumstance beyond the students control." The Veteran Steering Committee requests that the institution add military obligations as an additional item within the policy. Proper documentation must be provided with a point of contact for verification purposes as stated at the end of the third bullet point. This may include, but is not limited to a memorandum from the commanding officer of the unit or official military orders. The Veteran Steering Committee requests that the institution add military obligations as an additional item within the policy. Proper documentation must be provided with a point of contact for verification purposes as stated at the end of the third bullet point. This may include, but is not limited to a memorandum from the commanding officer of the unit or official military orders. The current policy with proposed changes may read as follows: Attendance and Assessment/Examinations Attendance The University expects each student to take full responsibility for his or her academic work and academic progress. The student, to progress satisfactorily, must meet all of the requirements of each course for which he or she is registered. Students are expected to attend classes regularly, for consistent attendance offers the most effective opportunity open to all students to gain command of the concepts and materials of their courses of study. Except as provided below, absences will not be used in the computation of grades, and the recording of student absences will not be required of the faculty. In some courses, attendance and in-class participation are ongoing requirements and an integral part of the work of the course. In other courses, occasional in-class assessments may occur, sometimes without advance notice. It is the responsibility of the instructor to inform each class at the beginning of the semester of the nature of in-class participation expected and the effect of absences on the evaluation of the student's work in the course. It is the policy of the university to excuse the absences of students that result from the following causes: illness of the student, or illness of a dependent as defined by Board of Regents policy on family and medical leave; religious observance (where the nature of the observance prevents the student from being present during the class period); military obligations; participation in university activities at the request of university authorities; and compelling circumstance beyond the students control. Students claiming excused absence must apply in writing and furnish documentary support for their assertion that absence resulted from one of these causes. This policy would be put into practice for students engaged in the military and would be disseminated to all veteran and active duty military service members, Reserve and Guard members via the Veterans Student Life unit to help them understand their opportunities within the confines of this policy. |
| Active? | No |
| Policy: | http://www.umd.edu/catalog/index.cfm/show/content.section/c/27/ss/1584/s/1540 |
| Related Bills: |
Status
| Status: | Completed |
| Completed On: | 08/26/2015 |
History
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Senate Executive Committee (SEC) |
| Received: | 2015-08-19 |
| Decision Date: | 2015-08-26 |
| Decision: | The SEC voted to amend a related charge (Senate Doc. No. 14-15-21) to APAS Committee and Student Affairs Committee to include the consideration of military obligations. |
| Related Files: |