There is talk around campus about a new attendance policy the university is planning to enforce, and Deborah Dungey, the university registrar, has confirmed that these plans are true.Dungey said some students who enroll in classes during early registration and who apply and receive money through government financial aid programs, do not return to school during the following semester.
The registrar explained that the university can be penalized when funds are awarded to a student who does not follow the proper procedures to withdraw from the classes in which they have enrolled. She said that this issue is very important because 85 percent of the student body is on partial or full financial aid.
“When a student has enrolled in courses, it is important that the university knows who is attending class because the money that is not used for a student not attending class must be returned to the government,” said Dungey. “If something is not implemented to prevent this from happening, the university can be fined, and eventually federal money will be taken away.”
In order for federal funding to not be taken away from the university, the office of the registrar piloted a program in fall 2005, spring 2006 and will pilot it again in summer 2006 to ensure that the new “Attendance Reporting Program” will be implemented as of fall 2006. Dungey said that the program will be a win-win situation for the university and students.
Currently all students must be enrolled by the 12th class day of a semester and paid by the 20th day.
According to Dungey, beginning in fall 2006 “professors will report attendance up the 20th class day so that the university will be able to see who is not attending class. For the university, this will prevent funds not being returned. For students, this will prevent bad grades.”
“Attendance Reporting” will not affect a student’s graduation directly, but can indirectly.
“The class attendance policy can be found on page 111 of the 2005-2007 undergraduate catalog. If absences prevent a student from graduating, that is ultimately up to the discretion of the professor,” Dungey said.