At Bluffton University a student who is going to miss an exam or quiz
because of an official school function must be able to take the quiz or
exam. Notice that this includes not only sports, but also choir and
band (because they do touring), and also field trips with other classes
(the social sciences seem to do a lot of field trips). Even pre-service
teachers have to go to some field-service events that take them out of
regular classes.
However, these official events are always known in advance, and the
policy is that the person missing an exam or quiz has to be given a
chance to make up the exam/quiz early, not later. Often I am able to
give the quiz/exam earlier on the same day I am giving it to the rest of
the class. In those cases I always give the same exam. Sometimes I
have to give the quiz/exam the day before the regular class. When that
happens I have to decide whether to give the same test or a different
one. I usually give the same exam, but occasionally have had a person
take the exam early who has been known to skirt academic misconduct, and
has cronies in the class. In those cases I write a separate test.
If a student misses an exam without prior planning, it had better be a
medical or family emergency, because if it is not, I am not required to
allow them to make up the exam.
Practices, by the way, are a different matter. Classes and labs are not
allowed to be missed because of athletic or music or theater practices.
The student goes to class or lab and misses (or goes late to) practice.
In general we have a fair number of conflicts between lab and athletic
practices. For example, football, soccer, basketball.... you name it...
practice starts at 4:00 PM, but many science labs run until 5:00 PM. On
days athletes have lab, they go to practice late or not at all. The
coaches are very good about this. The only time we have problems is
when we get a new coach that needs educated. But we just tell the
veteran coaches we've got a problem, and they take care of it. I think
we have a very good, and probably rare, relationship between athletics
and academics.
The interesting cases are the students who don't realize the situation
and tell us they have to leave lab early to go to football practice. We
tell them they need to stay in lab. They tell us the coach said they
need to leave lab early. We tell the coach and the coach really reams
the student for violating the athletic pledge which includes a statement
about integrity and honesty in all matters. Students only make this
blunder once.
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics and Chemistry
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu