Policy Concerning Scholar-Athlete Class Attendance and Faculty/Coach Interaction
(approved by the Faculty Athletic Committee
December 13, 1999; revised May 11, 2000; retitled and
reaffirmed November 9, 2001; retitled and revised June 1, 2009)
The Faculty Athletic Committee’s primary function is to help ensure the academic and athletic success of the scholar-athletes at the University of Denver. As such, the Committee has approved the following policy.
At the University of Denver, instructors have the right and responsibility to establish attendance policies for their classes. However, participation in official University activities, as well as personal emergencies and religious observances, are valid reasons for absence from classes. Official University activities include sanctioned athletic competition.
Before the beginning of each quarter, coaches must provide their student-athletes with a schedule of all practice and competitions for that quarter, including travel days for away games and potential post season play competitions. Prior to the start of class, each student-athlete should contact his/her potential instructors in order to inform them of his/her anticipated practice and travel schedule demands in order to verify the absences will not, in and of themselves, jeopardize academic success in the class; the instructor can assess the quantity of time to be missed and notify the student-athlete whether he/she could succeed in the planned course. It is the responsibility of faculty to acknowledge and respond to the above notices in a timely fashion, recognizing the demands on student-athletes and making every effort to be flexible and support their academic efforts.
As a general rule, student-athletes, with the assistance of academic advisors, should schedule their courses so absences for competition are minimal, which is particularly crucial for those student who are having academic difficulties. Once a student-athlete has registered for a class, he/she must:
1) During the first week of the quarter, provide all pertinent professors written notice of classes to be missed so the faculty member is aware of specific sessions to be affected;
2) Remind the faculty members in advance of each missed class; and
3) Arrange to make up all work, including exams, in a reasonable time frame.
All communications regarding this policy and the procedures herein should be directed to the student-athlete, the Office of Student-Athlete Support Services (for questions regarding attendance/grades), or the Office of Compliance (for questions regarding eligibility/compliance). Coaches should not be contacted. Similarly, coaches should not contact faculty, and any communications from Athletics should come from the student-athlete, the Office of Student-Athlete Support Services, or the Office of Compliance. A faculty member who feels that inappropriate intervention is taking place should immediately contact the Faculty Athletic Committee of the Faculty Senate.