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Show . 1 . 1 1 OPINIONS r X SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 5 VOL L ISSUE 8 ARE THEY JUSTIFIED? By Brianna Bailey Opinions Writer ttendance: Our lives have been completely structured -by it as we've grown up. Whether it's attendance in school, sports, church, clubs or so forth, it's always been imperative to our success to attend everything we're involved in. During our K-12 education, it has always been mandatory to attend by the law and state. If we had too many tardies or absences it would negatively affect our grade, so close-to-perfect attendance was the key. As we all progressed through different grades it was told to us that once we were in college, professors would not care about attendance anymore. It was our choice to attend class and be successful in our education. There would be no more attendance contracts or tardies that accumulated to the equivalence of an absent. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Although most professors leave your presence in class up to you, there are some that feel diiferently. They feel the to make the point that if anyone ! : need misses class, there will be severe penalties to their grade. For the majority of these professors, the grace number of absences is three. After that, any student exceeding the allotted amount of absences will begin to lose points and their grade will drop. But does this really seem right? At least in high school everyone had an average of about five to 10 absences allowed a semester. iV'i. We are imperfect humans Miho get sick, have bad days, nights we can't sleep and have a lot more going on in college than any other time in our life leading up till now. We therefore make mistakes, but this is an education we are paying for. P; We're not forced to be in school six and a half hours a day like \ye used to be^ i We all chose to go to this university and receive an education. Jf we have a day that we don't feel well or simply don't feel like going to class, that should be our choice as students. We shouldn't be penalized if we get more than a specified number of absences. "I think if you're keeping up on your work and doing a good job in the class it shouldn't matter. If you miss a lot of class and you fail, that's your fault. It's college; we're adults and should be responsible/' said freshman Brodi Higginson. The excuse most professors have to justify the policy is that if anyone misses more than three days in their class there is no way a student will be able to keep up with the curriculum and be successful. But as a school, aren't we so technologically advanced that almost all lectures, notes, assignments and tests are on Blackboard anyway? If not, we're social enough to be able to call or ask a friend what we missed and be up to date with the class before we return. It's understandable that professors don't want to waste their time preparing lessons if students aren't going to attend, but that's never.been the case. Classrooms are almost always full unless it's near a holiday or there's some bug going around school getting everyone sick. We're all adults now and are paying our fair money for tuition towards education. It should be our choice how often we choose to attend class and not have our grade be affected by the choice to attend less frequently. If we simply can't keep UD with our classes and fall behind, thatTa natural consequence we will have to accept. www.uvureview.coni ARE THEY BENEFIT? By Celeste Rosenlof Asst. Opinions Writer hould students be allowed to When you don't show up, you're miss classes they are paying ening the experience you paid several for? Is there more to die re- hundred dollars to have. That's like goquirement of attendance than patronizing • ing to Disneyland without riding Splash or micromanaging students? Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean. * The Science department is approachPerhaps it seems unjustified that teachers can fail a student based solely ing traditional roll-taking differently, uson attendance records, especially when ing clickers instead of calling roll. students are dish ing out their hard-earned Clickers are small remotelike devices cash or getting thousands of dollars into that allow students to respond to quiz debt to enroll. questions. In the case of many science Being honest though, how much does classes now, a teacher will administer it really hurt to go to class every day and a quiz at the beginning of or throughout class, and those students who respond are be a responsible student? Dr. David Scott, Communications marked present and receive quiz credit. department chair and associate profesStudents who are not in class do not. sor, only allows two absences from his receive credit, penalizing their absence. , classes before the student's grade begins Dr. Fern Caka, an assistant profesto drop in letters. sor in Chemistry, asks quiz questions That's two personal days for the en- throughout class. "I'm flexible and I tire semester completely excused, but know there are different ways to learn," otherwise you're expected to be in class Caka said, "but I know the vast majority of students do better in coming to class' every day, "I've bad classes where I've had no and participating." attendance policy whatsoever...and atIf students decide they actually want tendance was less than 40 percent on any to learn, rather than just get grades, per^ given day; about a third of my students haps the attitude of entitlement to come, failed," Scott said. and go as they please will change into a The fact is that often teachers lecture, desire to acquire skill and knowledge.:.; and subsequently test, on material that is Then going to class won't be an i^sue. ^ presented in class; therefore being sucOften, teachers are helpful for mo: cessful in that class depends upon being than just clarification of something in present during that lecture. texupook. They may be able to find c present you with opportunities to appl Scott's previous classes, wherein the students who didn't show up were fail- skills and have experience in that fieJd;afi ing, is an example of something most study. students don't want to pay to do. Using teachers as, a resource* m a | "What bothered me," he said, "was be as much a benefit to you as going toj that they had the audacity to complain class. •.:•; x they were failing, But the students that "Professors are paid because, suppjiS showed up every day were fine." edly, they know more uhout the m ""J" Relevant learning activities, ex- than the students." Scon s>aid. •• ,f V;? amples and discussions that provide a So with thatmitude, maybe gofngpu! rounded education take place only in a" class is worth your timg^rrer all. classroom moderated by the teacher. m |