Sometimes it can feel like there is no point more crucial than the senior year of college. As I start to look ahead to study abroad programs and graduate school on the horizon, grades are a vital part of my future plans. All was set in stone until a few sick days unexpectedly took me off the path to a 4.0 GPA.
The VCU Fashion department has, arguably, one of the strictest attendance policies at VCU. The official statement on all course syllabi reads, “The Department of Fashion Design + Merchandising allows for three absences. The three absences are to be used as you see fit and do not require explanation or approval from your professor. On the fourth absence, the student’s grade is lowered by one letter. On the fifth absence, the student’s grade is lowered another letter, etc.”
While this sounds reasonable, the next clause proves this practice to be a bit difficult for students navigating the grey space between coronavirus, flu and cold symptoms.
The closing states, “therefore, the three absences must cover: illness, funerals, court appearances, oversleeping, vacations, excessive tardiness + unforeseen circumstances.”
Last month, I got sick after a long weekend of traveling. I was exposed to nearly thousands of people that weekend after attending a stadium concert, a friend’s birthday bar crawl and a college football game. I was experiencing body aches, fever, sore throat, headaches and severe fatigue. I physically felt it was not possible nor responsible for me to go to class in such a condition.
I emailed my professors, leaving my attendance grade to their discretion. But as the policy states, sick days are included in the three allotted absences. I was out of class for a week, using up all of my allocated days to get better. I tested negative for COVID-19, but I was disturbed by what would have happened to my grades if I had tested positive and needed to self-quarantine for the CDC’s recommended 5 days.
Even when I returned to class, I was still living off of flu medicine and fighting a bad cough—earning a plethora of looks from classmates who rightfully were concerned about their own health and safety.
The School of Business’ more lenient policy was a relief to me. My synchronous MKTG 340 syllabus reads, “more than two unexcused absences will result in the final participation grade dropping a full letter grade for each absence over the limit. Attendance and participation count for 15% of the final grade.”
Unfortunately, the ease was short-lived. The Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture has a policy even more restrictive than VCU Fashion. My MASC 303 and 305 syllabi read, “more than two unexcused absences will result in a letter grade drop. Five unexcused absences will result in a failing grade.”
My grades currently sit somberly in limbo. If I am not able to attend one more day in any of the classes, my final grade will drop a whole letter. This anxiety-inducing ledge seems unjust as my only way to avoid this situation was to walk into class with a fever, cough and a mask.
In prior semesters, the university’s transition to hybrid Zoom courses afforded students a more flexible attendance policy. Now that the majority of classes are in person and very few are hybrid, this option is eliminated.
Students and staff alike protested for a return to hybrid options this January, but to no avail. The semester’s potential policy change headed in the opposite direction when Governor Youngkin’s bill ended mask mandates in the state. In some ways, the lax law only justified the lack of online infrastructure. On the other hand, it exposed wide holes in the care for student health and input that remain today at VCU.