Students look to deans for excuses

Author: Michelle Constant

Commons deans have seen a spike in recent weeks in the number of students requesting dean's excuses for what they describe as illegitimate reasons.

In response, the administration reaffirmed the College's policy regarding dean's excuse in a campus-wide e-mail sent on Oct. 11.

Dean of the College Tim Spears explained that, "basically, the commons deans saw a bump in the number of requests for dean's excuses. Dean's excuses can only be given in 'exceptional' circumstances," Spears reminded. He indicated that this is not a new policy, but one that becomes increasingly important to clarify around mid-term time, when students experience the highest levels of stress.

Despite the increase in requests for dean's excuses this year, Terry Jenny, associate director of the Health Center, said that the Health Center's number of patients "aren't up at all this year," except for a few uncommon cases of pneumonia.

The policy on dean's excuses did change about a year ago - the Health Center is no longer authorized to distribute excuses. When it did, students with minimal sickness visited the Health Center after being prodded to do so by professors and filled the nurse's appointments unnecessarily, according to Jenny. An appointment at the Health Center became known as an easy way to get excused from class.

Atwater Commons Dean Scott Barnicle said that because the Health Center was bound by confidentiality, a slip stating that a student had visited gave no indication as to whether the student had a serious illness or a common cold. Since the change in policy, a student who visits the Health Center now has the option of signing a consent form, including - in any combination - the date of evaluation, medical or nursing diagnosis and specifics of examination or illness, allowing nurses to share more specific information with the commons deans and determine whether an excuse need be issued.

Students absent from a single class should approach their professors on an individual basis, rather than going through their commons dean, Spears said. Wonnacott Commons Dean Matt Longman receives many requests by e-mail late at night for one time illness, making it very difficult to determine their legitimacy. He said that a significant percent of these requests must be turned down, in the interest of protecting the dean's excuse.

"When professors receive dean's excuses, they need to have confidence that we aren't issuing them liberally and freely," said Longman.

Barnicle also tries to distribute dean's excuses sparingly, believing he "need[s] to keep some credibility."

The deans said that they recognize that certain professors more adamantly require dean's excuses for absences, depending on the subject matter, level of the class and importance of class participation, and must use their judgment to interpret the policy accordingly. Yet, Barnicle said, "our work is much more involved with bigger personal crisis."

However, commons deans indicated that the e-mail sent by Spears should not serve as a scare tactic to prevent students from seeking their deans for assistance in serious situations. It is meant to help both faculty and students, particularly those who had been abroad or on leave last year when the policy changed, understand the policy on dean's excuses.

Longman said he still encourages students to approach him with compelling medical and personal circumstances, including documented medical challenges such as recurrent migraines, sexual assault, family crises and any "clear medical situation that has deep-founded basis." He said he realizes that many students are under great strain and endure difficult circumstances and he often wishes students would have come to him sooner.

Similarly, Barnicle believes that in these types of emergency circumstances, "you may not be in the emotional state to talk to four professors." This is where the dean's excuse serves to help students and faculty - the commons deans said that they are more than willing to contact professors to discuss their students' difficult circumstances and act as a liason between the two groups when students are unable to contact professors themselves.

Longman further clarified that even in situations where a dean's excuse cannot be allotted, such as missing class for job interviews or sports games, he can contact professors to somewhat explain and justify his students' motivations for missing class.