Class Attendance

Each student is expected to attend all meetings of all classes, including lectures, seminars, laboratories and drills, in which he or she is enrolled. The specific attendance policy in each course, however, is determined by the instructor of the course, subject to the section on University Holidays below. The specific attendance policy for each course will be announced to the students and distributed on the course syllabus at the beginning of the course.

Faculty members will honor an official notification from the appropriate dean that a student is to be excused for participation in a University-sponsored event, such as choral performances off campus, intercollegiate athletic events, or judicial hearings at which the student must be present.

A student generally will be held responsible for all work of a class or laboratory missed during an absence. Acceptance of any excuse for an absence, other than those excused by the appropriate dean in the previous paragraph, and any provision for make-up, will be at the discretion of the instructor provided it is consistent with the announced policy for the course and with the University Holiday Schedule below. Missed classes, work, tests and/or excessive absences with or without good cause may result in a poorer grade, or failure, in the course. (NOTE: Students enrolled in Business School or School of Continuing Studies courses must attend at least 75% of the class meetings regardless of the reasons for absence to be eligible to receive credit for the course.)

Generally, absences that may be excused by faculty members include accident or illness, death or serious illness of a family member, bona fide religious holiday observance, or participation in other University activities such as field trips. Students should make arrangements with their instructors as far in advance as possible for the make up of any missed work. Students experiencing difficulty in making reasonable arrangements for make-up work may see their dean.

University Holidays

With the increasing diversity of the University community and the limited flexibility in setting the academic calendar, it is not possible to avoid some religious and secular holidays that are very important to some members of our faculty, staff, and student body. However, the University is very sensitive to the special needs of those who need to observe such holidays and will make accommodations for them to make up the time missed if arrangements are made in advance.

The University is officially closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas. In addition, some schools are closed for classes on Memorial Day, July 4^th, and Labor Day while others hold classes on those days. (See the appropriate academic calendar for specifics.)

Other holidays affecting University community members include Martin Luther King Day, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first two days of Passover, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. In consideration of their significance for our students, students who observe these holidays will be given an opportunity to make up missed work in both laboratories and lecture courses. If a test or examination is given on the first class day after one of these holidays, it must not cover material introduced in class on that holiday. Faculty and staff should be aware that Jewish and Islamic holidays begin at sunset on the evening before the published date of the holiday.

The University recognizes that there are other holidays, both religious and secular, which are of importance to some individuals and groups on campus. Such occasions include, but are not limited to, Sukkoth, the last two days of Passover, Shavuot, Shemini Atzerat, and Simchat Torah, as well as the Islamic New Year, Ra's al-sana, and the Islamic holidays Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha.

Students who wish to observe any such holidays must inform their instructors within the first two weeks of each semester of their intent to observe the holiday even when the exact date of the holiday will not be known until later, so that alternative arrangements convenient to both the student and instructor can be made at the earliest opportunity. Students who make such arrangements will not be required to attend classes or take examinations on the designated days, and faculty must provide reasonable opportunities for such students to make up missed work and examinations. To facilitate this, faculty will announce and distribute all anticipated test and examination dates on the course syllabus, distributed at the beginning of each semester. Students should be aware that faculty may need to adjust these dates as necessary.

The list below is intended to familiarize the University community with major religious holidays affecting many throughout the campus. Inclusion on this list does not imply that the day is a University holiday but is provided to alert members of the Richmond community to possible scheduling conflicts. See the Class Attendance and University Holidays section of the catalog for details.

– Jewish holy days, religious festivals and the weekly Sabbath begin at sunset the preceding evening. On these days, observant Jews do not engage in daily activities or fulfill routine commitments.

– Many Jews who do not observe all holy days prefer to celebrate at their synagogue or at home on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the first two evenings of Passover.

**This holiday does not require absence from routine commitments.

– All Islamic dates begin at sunset the preceding evening.

–The Islamic year is based on the lunar cycle, consisting of 12 months of 29 or 30 days each, totaling 353 or 354 days. Each new month begins at the sighting of a new moon. Actual dates may differ by a day or two from the above dates. In many places, the moon sighting is often determined in advance by astronomical calculations.