Some students face attendance grade penalties for missing class when sick

by BERNADETTE D’AURIA, COSIMA PELLIS & SHANNON KEHOE

Associate Editors & Staff Writer

Across the UMW campus, the sounds of coughs and sneezes can be heard throughout classrooms and residence halls. Just like every semester, the common cold has returned. However, attendance policies vary by professor, and some penalize students for missing class when sick. 

“I’ve had this mystery sickness for several weeks now. I’m not exactly sure what could’ve caused it, but it does linger around,” said Duke Morisset, a senior business administration major. “My grades have slipped a little due to attendance, but by continuing to complete my assignments on time, it hasn’t had too harsh of an effect on my grades. Most of my professors were very understanding when I told them I wouldn’t be coming to class due to my symptoms because it makes sense to just stay in the dorm instead of risking getting others sick.” 

UMW’s academic catalog, which can be accessed on the university’s website, outlines multiple academic policies. According to the catalog’s policy on unscheduled absences, “Students who face an emergency and/or who expect to be absent for more than a full week of classes should contact the Office of Academic Services to report the absence and request assistance (if necessary) in working with faculty members to reschedule work or to develop acceptable alternatives for completing course requirements. If contacted by a student, the Office of Academic Services will contact course instructors.” For students struggling to navigate long-term sickness in accordance to differing attendance policies, the Office of Academic Services may be a helpful resource. 

This policy has not been updated in accordance with COVID-19, resulting in professors choosing whether or not they want to take the pandemic into consideration explicitly in their attendance policies. Though there are some trends and commonalities in professors’ attendance policies, every professor’s attendance policy is unique to them, and there is no consistent policy about illness-related absences.

With many students developing prolonged colds that are not COVID-related, some students have expressed a want for professors’ consideration when it comes to the terms of absences and their effect on grades.

Junior English and communication and digital studies double major Ainsley Fox has also experienced a prolonged cold.

“I have been sick for probably two months,” said Fox. “My symptoms consist of [a] cough, sore throat, drowsiness and congestion. My grades have absolutely dropped because of this and some of my professors do not understand the full extent of my sickness and how it has been affecting me.”

According to an article published by Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials, the ease of pandemic restrictions has allowed germs to quickly circulate back into the mainstream. By relaxing social distancing and mask-wearing policies, the amount of people who contract the common cold increases. 

UMW’s campus is no exception, as some students have said that this sickness is worse and is lingering more than in previous years. 

Senior sociology major Blake Johnson, who is one of many who have caught a cold this semester, said, “It’s probably been a month that I have been sick. It has been off and on. Coughing and congested, but the cough won’t go away even after I feel better. I’ve skipped maybe once or twice because it was only bad in the beginning.”