This policy complements the statement on class attendance in the Undergraduate Program Catalog. All students involved in the conduct of the intercollegiate athletic program are bound by the guidelines established in this policy.
The College of William and Mary Undergraduate Program Catalog states that students are expected to be present at all regularly scheduled class meetings “except for reasonable cause.” Participation in scheduled intercollegiate competition may be considered a reasonable cause for absence from class.
Regularly scheduled practices are not considered a reasonable cause for missed classes. Requests for an exemption to this policy for practice for a special event may be submitted to the Associate Director of Athletics – Internal Admin & Operations for approval prior to the practice.
To the extent that it is consistent with sound academic planning, students are advised to arrange their class schedules so as to minimize absences necessitated by travel to competitions. Approved trips for away competitions will be arranged to allow students to attend as many complete class hours as possible.
The Athletic Department will maintain a file for each athletic team that includes a schedule of competitive events (noting departure and return times) and a roster of all students involved in the event. This information will be made available to the Dean of Students upon request.
It is the responsibility of each student who must miss a class to speak to his or her professor well in advance of the missed class. If the professor requests written confirmation of the competition schedule, contact the Assistant Athletics Director of Academic Support Services. Students are responsible for all material covered during their absence. If papers are due or exams are scheduled, the student must arrange acceptable alternatives with the professor, which may involve completing the work prior to the student’s absence. If there is no make-up option, the student must miss the competition to meet the academic obligation.
