Short school year affords little leniency

Lauren Sutherland Life Editor

Against the impossible odds of rigorous coursework, research papers of stapler-breaking lengths, and four-hour science labs, Vassar students manage to have active and unique personal lives that often send them outside the campus gates during the school year. On Wednesday, Sept. 20, more than 50 Vassar students traveled to New York City to protest the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in front of a military recruitment center in Times Square. On Friday, Sept. 22, many Jewish students left campus to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with friends and family. These students, as well as the myriad others who balance personal commitments with the demands of academia, face the dilemma of missing class without suffering the repercussions of “ditching.”

Vassar does not have an official attendance policy, and the circumstances that constitute excused and unexcused absences are not clearly defined across all departments. Also, the College does not officially grant additional days off from school for occasions such as national or religious holidays. According to College Registrar Dan Giannini, one major reason for this is that Vassar’s academic schedule simply doesn’t have any days to spare.

The State of New York legislates that licensed colleges must be in session for 15 full weeks of classes per semester—a requirement Giannini said Vassar technically does not meet. In addition to the state law, the Vassar academic policy voted upon by the faculty requires 65 school days per semester, or 13 full weeks of class. According to Giannini, the College “really stretches the legal minimum” of scheduled school days by adding the 10-day October break, created as a designated study period for students rather than a vacation, to the schedule mandated by the academic policy.

“The fall semester is especially tight because we have to begin classes around [Sept. 1] and end by [Dec. 21],” said Giannini. “There really isn’t any flexibility to designate particular days as official holidays without starting earlier, shortening the October break, or picking away at the exam schedule.” In the past, said Giannini, such proposals have been considered by the Committee on Curricular Policies (CCP), but have ultimately been rejected.

Giannini did note that the CCP approved changing the academic schedule so that classes will not be held on Labor Day; but, because the official academic calendar is published every four years, this change will not go into effect until 2008.

As an alternative for students who must reconcile unexcused absences during the year, a proposal was brought before the CCP that would allow students to make up classes during the first two days of the finals study period. According to Giannini, however, the proposal has not garnered much support.

Dean of Studies Sandy Thompson said that the decision about whether to excuse a student absence is ultimately left to the discretion of instructors. The English and Classics departments excuse two absences before taking punitive measures, but most other departments do not uniformly enforce an attendance policy. It is, however, understood that professors are to excuse students for religious holidays. At the beginning of the academic year, a letter written by the Office of the Dean of Faculty and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life is sent to the Vassar faculty asking them to note the holy days observed by both teachers and students when planning major assignments, exams, and class activities; the annual letter also provides a table that chronologically lists major holy days that account for the majority of schedule conflicts among the student body.

“The observance of holy days is something we affirm. It’s not an annoyance that we are making an exception for, and the policy was created to convey that support to the students and faculty,” said Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Director Sam Speers, who worked in concert with the Office of the Registrar and the Office of the Dean of Faculty to craft the school’s policy towards religious diversity.

Last year, during the High Holy days, this policy’s effectiveness was challenged when several Jewish students approached the Office of the Dean of Faculty and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life with complaints that certain professors weren’t accommodating their need to miss classes for the holidays.

“Students seemed not to be aware that policies exist that enable them to say, ‘Look, this is a holiday I’m going to observe,’” said Speers. “Also, some professors didn’t realize that they’d had major class commitments scheduled on the holiday, and were unaware of when many important religious holidays fall.”

No such policy exists regarding political demonstrations, which are technically unexcused, though Thompson noted that the Office of the Dean of Studies tries to alert the faculty about upcoming protests that draw substantial student participation. Many academic and student organizations, such as the ACT OUT group that organized the protest in Times Square, send out notices to faculty members, administrators, and the College President to inform them of upcoming events that will cause students to be absent from class.

But, Thompson added, such notices serve mainly to help Dean of Students David “DB” Brown keep track of students when they are off campus. The responsibility of seeking excusal from class is ultimately that of the students, who must talk with each of their professors and ensure that all missed work is made up in a timely manner.

“An important part of your education is making decisions,” said Thompson. “And it’s also a reasonable part of education to have conflicts.”

Additional reporting by Alea Bell, Guest Writer