ATTENDANCE POLICY

RIT's official policy on attendance states that:

"Absences, for whatever reason, do not relieve students of their responsibility for fulfilling normal requirements in any course. In particular, it is the student's responsibility to make individual arrangements in advance of missing class due to personal obligations such as religious holidays, job interviews, athletic contests, etc., in order that he or she may meet his or her obligations without penalty for missing class." (RIT Governance Policy D4.0, Section I.B)

Therefore, if a student needs to miss class, there are mutual responsibilities for students and faculty:

1. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the faculty member in advance of the planned absence.
2. With advance notice of the planned absence, it is the faculty member’s responsibility to ensure that the student can fulfill all class assignments and expectations without penalty or bias.

The faculty member’s responsibility can be accomplished in many ways, including alternative assignments and making sure that the student has reasonable access to any materials that may be covered in the missed class.