The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for University of Illinois Springfield students and faculty to address absence due to participation in university-sanctioned events.

Regular class attendance is expected of all UIS students. It is the first responsibility of students to respect the integrity of the educational process and to participate as fully as possible in all course-related activities. The University also values and supports the required participation of both on-ground and on-line students in university sanctioned events.

Faculty are urged to include absences policies in their course syllabi. Faculty and instructors are encouraged to provide such students with reasonable accommodations for completing missed exams, quizzes and the like so that student who are absent have the opportunity to earn all the points available to students attending the class.

Process for Students

It is the responsibility of the student to inform instructors, in advance, of scheduled absence for university-sanctioned events and to arrange to complete missed work within a reasonable timeframe. Students are required to submit a Student Absence Form to their instructor identifying the scheduled absences for university-sanctioned events as early as possible during each semester. Ultimately, students are responsible for material covered in classes missed due to sanctioned events.

Criteria for “University-Sanctioned Event”

The criteria for “University-Sanctioned Events” are:

• Events and activities where the student is formally appointed by the University to represent the University
• Intercollegiate, competitive events
• Presentation of a student’s peer-reviewed scholarship
• Events or activities for which the student is obligated to participate by the receipt of financial aid.

Process for Sanctioned Event Approval

University-sanctioned events must be clearly approved and designated as such. Sponsoring organizations that wish to obtain university-sanctioned status for their event are required to submit an application prior to the event for review and approval.  The Senate’s Committee on Admissions, Recruitment and Retention (CARR) will recommend criteria and application procedures for units seeking university-sanctioned status and will make recommendations to the Provost regarding specific approvals. The Office of the Provost will administer the approval process and will maintain records pertaining to implementation. Organizations sponsoring university-sanctioned events must provide clear guidance to students on the procedures for timely communication with instructors and arrangements for any missed work.

Examples of university activities that may be sanctioned include:

• Model United Nations
• Student Trustee representation on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees
• STARS symposium participation
• Peer-reviewed academic conference presentations
• Fine Arts performances
• Intercollegiate athletic competitions as well as other intercollegiate competitions (e.g. case competitions or forensic team competitions.)

Examples of university activities that will not be sanctioned include:

• Intramural events or sports clubs
• Athletic practices
• Course-related field trips
• Student club events
• Career fairs

Any requests for appeal based on this policy must follow the usual university procedures for appealing a grade as articulated in the Student Grievance Code.