Attendance Regulation

All classwork is directed to the glory of God and designed for the best preparation of students for their service to God. Students are expected to attend all class sessions on time. No student should absent himself/herself from one class in order to fulfill requirements of another class. The handling of unexcused absences is left to the discretion of the professor.
A student with three unexcused absences for three credits hours will be dismissed from the course with a failing grade. Excessive absences may be appealed to the Academic Committee. Additional attendance requirements may be stipulated by the professor.
VACU faculties value class attendance as an integral and meaningful element in academics. Since the importance of the common gatherings of participants may vary from course to course, instructors are given the responsibility of regulation attendance in their classes, subject to the following limitations:

Attendance regulations are to be clearly announced in writing by the instructor at the beginning of each term.
Attendance regulations for multi-section courses are to be set by agreement at the department level.
Excessive absences may result in suspension from the course with an of F. When a F is given for excessive absences, the instructor must notify the Registrar in writing.
Attendance at quizzes announced at least a week in advance and at special sessions is mandatory. Excuses for absence in such instances are to be obtained by the student from the Academic Dean.
Student appeals concerning attendance regulations are to be made to the School Academic Regulations Committee (or Teacher meeting).

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance in classes is expected of all students at VACU. Each faculty member is to state the attendance policy in writing to all students in class. The faculty member is the judge of whether the student has met the stated attendance requirements of the course. Class attendance is considered essential to the educational process. VACU subscribes to the philosophy that academic success is directly proportional to class attendance. It is important that students regularly and punctually attend all class sessions. Attendance will be recorded from the first day of the class through the final exam:

(1) The professor must receive the names of students from the office.
(2) Every class, the professor must check attendance of those who have registered.
(3) The professor must announce the class policy regarding attendance to their students.
(4) The professor will report the students who have missed two or more classes to the school office.

VACU recognizes that situations may arise which will prevent a student from attending classes. VACU will accommodate occasional absences but recommends that students who attend less than 80% of the scheduled class meetings submit a withdrawal request to VACU Office according to the Withdrawal Procedures described in VACU Catalog and Faculty Handbook.

Regular attendance and participation in schooling is an important factor in educational and life success. Students who are regular non-attenders are at risk of alienation from education that can lead to decreased options for future pathways.

Special Absence

All absences are unexcused except those caused by illness of the student, quarantine, death in the immediate family, recovery from an accident, required court attendance, and educational tours and trips. A student shall not be absent from school or from any other required school hours except for illness or other providential cause, unless with written permission of the teacher, or other duly authorized school official.

Invalid Excuse

A student, who is absent from school without a valid excuse, will be marked as being unexcused for the period of each absence. Students will be notified of their responsibility for their unexcused absences by the proper school authority;

(1) The Registration office will send an academic warning, informing of VACU attendance policy and inviting the students to contact the office to discuss the matter, to the students who have accumulated three absences from their classes during one semester by both e-mail and postal mail.
(2) An unexcused absence occurs when the student does not provide, within two days after an absence, an explanatory note signed by the student or visitation by a physician, which satisfies the criteria for excused absence. After three days of unexcused absences from school or the class, an official notice of unexcused absence will be sent to the student. The notice will list the dates of unexcused absences and notify students that any further absence with invalid excuse constitutes a summary offense under the School Code.

Excused Absence

Excused absences may be granted for: illness, quarantine, death in the immediate family, impassable roads, school-sanctioned educational trips, and exceptionally urgent reasons which affect the student. Absences for other reasons will be considered unexcused. For an absence to be excused, the student must send a note to the Registration office within two (2) days after each absence or the day of absence.

Instructors may advise any student with excessive absences to withdraw from the course involved to protect the academic standing of the student. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor absences and to comply with the instructor’s syllabus concerning the make-up work. Failure to submit make up assignments or to withdraw when it is clear that the student cannot achieve an acceptable grade in the class may result in a low grade, the course including possibly an F based on grade performance in the course. Grades will not be raised or lowered based directly on attendance.

Early Dismissal

Students are not permitted to leave the school campus at any time during the school day without permission from the instructor. If student wish to be excused early during the school day, student must present a note to the instructor. The note should indicate

(1) the date and time of dismissal;
(2) appropriate reason of absence and
(3) signature of the student.

The registrar will issue an “early dismissal” slip to the student, which student must present to the professor (for his/her signature) at the time of departure of the student. If student return to VACU on the same day, student is to report to the office before going to class.

Appeals Process

If a student disagrees with the assignment of an unexcused absence, a tardy or denial of permission to make up missed work, an appeal may be made. The appeal must be submitted in writing within one week of the incident.