Students will be excused with no penalty to a student’s attendance and the student will be given the opportunity to make up coursework as defined in the course syllabus for bereavement leave. This also includes being granted leave even in those incidences where a student does not travel from campus.

The following parameters are established related to the relationship to the student of the deceased loved one.

Immediate Family: Students are eligible for up to five (5) days of excused absence, over a two-week period, of the semester in which the death occurs, for the death of a spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, or a corresponding in-law or step-relative.

Other Relationships: Students are eligible for up to three (3) days of excused absence, over a two-week period, of the semester in which the death occurs, for the death of relatives or friends falling outside of the category of immediate family.

In unique circumstances, a bereaved student should petition for extended grief absence through the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) by meeting individually with an ODOS staff member for case evaluation.

In addition, students may be granted additional absences to account for travel considerations, to be determined by the distance of the verified bereavement services from West Lafayette, IN, as follows:

• Within 150 mile radius of West Lafayette - no additional excused absence days
• Between 150-300 mile radius of West Lafayette - one additional excused absence days
• Beyond 300-mile radius of West Lafayette - two additional excused absence days
• Outside the 48 contiguous United States - four additional excused absence days.

A student enrolled at other Purdue University locations shall be granted additional leave based upon the traveled distance from the State Wide location in which the student is enrolled.

A student should contact the ODOS to request that a notice of his or her leave be sent to instructors. The student will provide documentation of the death or funeral service attended to the ODOS. Given proper documentation, the instructor will excuse the student from class and provide the opportunity to earn equivalent credit and to demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments or assessments.

In cases of impending death, students should contact the instructor as soon as possible by e-mail, phone, or by contacting the main office of the department that offers the course. When the student is unable to make direct contact with the instructor and is unable to leave word with the instructor’s department because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, the student or the student’s representative should contact the Office of the Dean of Students. A member of the Dean of Students staff will notify the student’s instructor(s) of the circumstances. Instructors should work to reasonably accommodate students in these unique circumstances.

Students will be excused, and no penalty will be applied to a student’s absence for Jury Duty and given the opportunity to make up course work as defined in the syllabus in the event that a student is summoned to serve as a potential juror and/or who have been empanelled as a juror in a criminal and/or civil trial. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor at the earliest possible opportunity of the potential for jury duty conflicts. Students should expect that absences from heavier course loads will be more difficult to recover from than absences from lighter course loads.

Students are eligible for up to ten (10) days for jury duty required absences per academic semester. Total absences, including travel, may not exceed 1/3 of the total course meetings for any course.

Students may be granted additional absences to account for travel considerations, to be determined by the distance of the jury duty from the Purdue University campus as follows:

• Within 150-mile radius of West Lafayette - no additional excused absence days
• Between 150‐300 mile radius of West Lafayette - one additional excused absence days
• Beyond 300-mile radius of West Lafayette - two additional excused absence days
• Outside the 48 contiguous United States - four additional excused absence days

A student enrolled at other Purdue University locations shall be granted additional leave based upon the traveled distance from the State Wide location in which the student is enrolled.

A student should contact the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) to request that a notice of the leave be sent to instructors as soon as the student is aware of the dates of the summoned jury duty. The student will provide documentation of the jury duty in the form of a court summons.

With a verified absence notification from the ODOS, the instructor will not penalize the student for missing class and will provide the opportunity to earn equivalent credit and to demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments or assessments.

Unique jury duty situations (sequestered, empanelled as a Grand Jury member, etc.) should be dealt with in a negotiated manner between the student and professor, which may include involving the Department Head, Dean of the school or college, or ODOS, to review and consult on the student’s situation.

In certain laboratory-based or intensive short-term courses, a student may jeopardize their academic status with an unreasonable number of absences, particularly in lab courses that cannot be made up later. In courses with extensive laboratory exercises, group projects, group performances, or participation requirements, equivalent exercises or assessments may not be possible as determined by the instructor and subject to review by the Dean of the school or college offering the course, or their designee. In such a case the student may be eligible for retroactive withdrawal. The student should always consult with the instructor to determine the potential impact of any absence.

Background: Purdue University recognizes that students may occasionally have to miss class and other academic obligations for urgent or emergent health related reasons, whether physical or mental health related in nature. This would include visits to an emergency room, being hospitalized, or being seen at a
surgery center. This Senate Document intends to describe the change in academic regulations that students may follow in requesting a medically excused absence as well as what rights and responsibilities are placed on students, instructors, and the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS). The guidelines put forth in this Senate Document are designed to protect student privacy and wellbeing while providing instructors and administration with the information necessary to decide what options exist for
eligible students to make up missed coursework. An emphasis is placed on balancing student arrangements with academic integrity, and as such, required documentation is outlined below as well.

This regulation change is designed to provide students with minimum protections in cases of a severe medical absence. Students are encouraged to proactively reach out to instructors to see if an agreement can be reached regarding the student making up missed work. This addition to the academic regulations is designed to ensure students are protected during documented and severe illnesses/incidents, and additional leniency from instructors is encouraged.

The phrases “class absence” and “missed coursework” refer to any instance where a student is not present at the time of a scheduled activity, assignment, lab, evaluation, examination, or other relevant academic activity associated with the completion of a course for which the student is enrolled.

In all cases, students are urged to not attend classes while they are ill and/or contagious and to seek appropriate medical treatment. It is recommended that students communicate their absences with professors in a timely manner whenever possible.

Scope: This regulation applies to all full-time and part-time students currently enrolled at the Purdue University Main Campus in West Lafayette, Indiana.

This regulation is not intended to provide extended arrangements for chronic medical conditions. The intention of this policy is to afford arrangements to students experiencing serious and short-term medical situations which cause them to miss coursework and/or exams. Students experiencing a chronic condition or diagnosis may have their initial absences accommodated, but long-term periods of absences will need to be addressed through students registering with the Disability Resource Center (DRC).

Student Expectations, Rights, and Responsibilities: Students who miss class or other coursework due to a hospitalization, emergency department visit or surgery and are requesting a Medical Excused Absence should note the following:

1. Students acknowledge that requesting a medically excused absence is a voluntary process and any documentation produced by the student and given to Purdue University administration is done so voluntarily and with the expectation of privacy and adherence to all legal and Purdue policy protections.
2. Students are responsible for providing documentation issued by a licensed medical provider to ODOS that, at a minimum, contains the following information:
   a. The medical institution or facility where treatment occurred
   b. Date(s) of the visit and any future visits or treatment (if known and applicable)
   i. Duration of recommended recovery period also desired (if known and applicable)
   ii. Indication that class absence was unavoidable or recommended by residing physician; if future absences are required (as part of subsequent treatment or recovery), indication that those are unavoidable or recommended is also desired
   c. Documentation is to be provided within three instructional days of the medical incident.
3. In the event documentation is unavailable, ODOS staff may evaluate a student’s eligibility for medically excused absences on a case-by-case basis.
4. Students are expected to work with instructors to establish an agreed upon timeline for completing missed work.

Office of the Dean of Students Expectations, Rights, and Responsibilities: When supporting students experiencing medically induced absences, ODOS is subject to the following guidance:

1. Collection, storage, and eventual disposal of student-submitted medical documentation must be handled in a secure manner that is compliant with all legal and Purdue policy protections, such that student privacy and confidentiality is prioritized.
2. Any student-submitted medical documentation will not be shared with instructional staff, faculty, or any entity outside of ODOS.
3. Upon examination of student-submitted medical documentation and any communication with the student, ODOS will serve as the sole authority responsible for indicating if the student’s absences are eligible to be medically excused.
4. Should an absence be deemed medically excused, ODOS will communicate this decision with the appropriate instructors whose coursework coincided, or will coincide, with the student’s absence(s). This communication will also indicate that instructors are compelled to work with students to enable them to make up missed coursework or find alternatives for equal credit, within a reasonable timeframe.
5. Should an absence be deemed medically excused, ODOS will advise instructors to not ask the student for any medical documentation or information.

Instructor Expectations, Rights, and Responsibilities: When supporting students experiencing medically excused absences, instructors are subject to the following guidance:

1. Instructors are expected to not ask students for any medical documentation or information. Should it be provided without a request, instructors are encouraged to return the documents or destroy them in a manner compliant with all legal and Purdue policy protections.
2. Should an instructor be notified by ODOS that a student in their course has experienced, or will experience, a medically excused absence, instructors are expected to work with the student to enable them to make up missed coursework or find alternatives for equal credit, within a reasonable timeframe and without penalty.
3. Instructors are expected to work with students to create a reasonable timeline and time limit for making up missed work.
4. Instructors are advised to direct any questions or concerns relating to the medically excused absence to ODOS and not the student.

Exception: This Senate Document recognizes that certain programs at Purdue University are regulated by governmental or regulatory agencies who impose strict guidelines for student attendance. In the event a student’s medically excused absence exceeds the number of allowed absences as dictated by the governing agency, this change in regulations cannot guarantee the student will be able to make up missed work or continue to adhere to the program’s attendance requirements.

Closing Remarks: Students experiencing serious medically induced absences should notify their instructors and the Office of the Dean of Students concurrently. If ODOS is given proper documentation or verifiability of an absence, instructors will excuse students from class and provide them the opportunity to earn equivalent credit (including through a grade of Incomplete) and demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments or assessments. If the student is not satisfied with the implementation of this policy by a instructor, they are encouraged to contact the Department Head and/or the Office of the Dean of Students for further review of their case. In a situation where grades are negatively affected, the student may follow the established grade appeals process.

Students will be excused, and no penalty will be applied to a student’s absence for mandatory military training and be given the opportunity to make up coursework as defined in the course syllabus.

It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor at the beginning of the semester of the potential for mandatory military training conflicts. Students should expect that absences from heavier course loads will be more difficult to recover from than absences from lighter course loads.

Students are eligible for up to fifteen (15) days for military-required absences per academic year with no more than ten (10) academic calendar (during the fall and spring semester) days taken consecutively, for their mandatory military training. Total absences, including travel, may not exceed 1/3 of the course meetings for any course.

Students may be granted additional absences to account for travel considerations, to be determined by the distance of the verified military training from the Purdue campus, as follows:

• Within 150-mile radius of West Lafayette - no additional excused absence days
• Between 150‐300 mile radius of West Lafayette - one additional excused absence days
• Beyond 300-mile radius of West Lafayette - two additional excused absence days
• Outside the 48 contiguous United States - four additional excused absence days

A student enrolled at other Purdue University locations shall be granted additional leave based upon the traveled distance from the State Wide location in which the student is enrolled.

A student should contact the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) to request that a notice of the leave be sent to instructors when informed of the dates of mandatory military training. The student will provide documentation of the mandatory military training in the form of orders or equivalent documents as proof of legitimate absence to the ODOS as soon as these documents are available. If necessary, the ODOS may consult with the Veterans Success Center about the nature of the documentation. When documentation is presented to the Office of the Dean of Students, a verified absence notification will be sent to the student’s instructors.

The student may provide verbal information about the leave to the ODOS and an unverified preliminary (non-MAPS) notice will be sent to instructors for planning purposes only. MAPS will be applicable only when the student has returned to the ODOS with substantiating documentation and ODOS has sent a verified absence notification to the instructors.

With a verified absence notification from the ODOS, no penalty will be applied to a student’s absence for mandatory military training and the student will be given the opportunity to make up course work as defined in the course syllabus.

Unique or variant exceptions should be dealt with in a negotiated manner between the student and professor, which may include involving the Department Head, Dean of the school or college, ODOS, or the Veterans Success Center to review and consult on his or her situation.

In certain laboratory-based or intensive short-term courses, a student can jeopardize his/her academic status with an unreasonable number of absences, particularly in lab courses that cannot be made up later. In courses with extensive laboratory exercises, group projects, group performances, or participation requirements, equivalent exercises or assessments may not be possible as determined by the instructor and subject to review by the Dean of the school or college offering the course, or their designee. In such a case the student may be eligible for retroactive withdrawal. The student should always consult with the instructor to determine the potential impact of any absence.

Students who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or need a leave of absence to care for a newborn, adopted, legal guardian, or foster care, may petition for a leave of absence through the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) by meeting individually with an OIE staff member. The student will be expected to provide documentation related to the petition for leave. If approved, the student will be excused, and no penalty will be applied to a student’s absence and given the opportunity to make up course work as defined in the syllabus. The student will be excused from classes. The University will approve all absences due to pregnancy or childbirth for as long as a student’s medical provider states that it is medically necessary, and may approve other absences as appropriate.

The University will provide students who are pregnant or have recently given birth with the same special services it provides to students with temporary medical conditions.

The instructor will not penalize the student for missing class during an approved absence and will provide opportunity to earn equivalent credit and to demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments and assessments.