office of student conduct and care

Students will be excused with no penalty to their attendance and will be given the opportunity to make up coursework as defined in the course syllabus for bereavement leave. 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 student should petition for extended grief absence through the Office of Student Conduct & CARE (OSCC) by emailing the office at [email protected].

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 Fort Wayne, IN, as follows:

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

A student should use the form below to contact the OSCC and request that a notice be sent to instructors.  The student must provide documentation of the death or funeral service attended in their submission.  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 Student Conduct & CARE.  A staff member in the Office of Student Conduct & CARE will notify the student's instructor(s) of the circumstances.  Instructors should work to reasonably accommodate students in these unique circumstances.

Grief Absence Request Form

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 semesters) days taken consecutively for their mandatory military training.  Total absences, including travel, may not exceed 1/4 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 Fort Wayne campus, as follows:

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

A student should contact the Office of Student Conduct & CARE (OSCC) to request that a notice 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 as soon as these documents are available.  If necessary, OSCC may consult with Military Student Services about the nature of the documentation.  

With a verified absence notification from the OSCC, 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 coursework 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, OSCC, or Military Student Services to review and consult on their situation.

Military Absence Request Form

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 empaneled 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 1/4 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 Fort Wayne campus as follows:

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

A student should contact the Office of Student Conduct & CARE (OSCC) to request that a notice be sent to instructors as soon as the student is aware of the dates of the summoned jury duty.  The student must provide documentation of the jury duty in the form of a court summons.

With a verified absence notification from the OSCC, the instructor will not penalize the student for missing class and will provide the opportunity to earn equivalent credit and demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments or assessments. Unique jury duty situations (sequestered, empaneled 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 OSCC, to review and consult on the student's situation.

Jury Duty Absence Request Form

Students who are pregnant, have recently given birth, have experienced loss of pregnancy, 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 Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinator.  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 services for pregnancy, pregnancy-related, and post-partum conditions 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 the opportunity to earn equivalent credit and to demonstrate evidence of meeting the learning outcomes for missed assignments and assessments.

Pregnant and Parenting Student Modification Form 

Students will be excused, and no penalty will be applied to a student's absence for emergency situations involving hospitalization, emergency department, or urgent care visit, and be given the opportunity to make up coursework as defined in the course syllabus.  Students experiencing hospitalization, emergency department, or urgent care visits can provide documentation to OSCC, who will then assess the student's request for a Medical Excused Absence and issue notification of the start and end of the absence to the student's instructors.  The student should follow up with the instructor to seek arrangements per the policy.

Students are eligible for up to fifteen (15) days for medically excused absences per academic year with no more than ten (10) academic calendar (during the fall and spring semesters) days taken consecutively for the Medical Excused Absence Policy.  Total absences, including travel, may not exceed 1/4 of the course meetings for any course.  A student can contact the Office of Student Conduct & CARE (OSCC) to request that a notice of the leave be sent to instructors when a situation involving hospitalization, emergency department, or urgent care visit emerges.  The student can then provide documentation of hospitalization, emergency department, or urgent care visit as proof of legitimate absence to the OSCC as soon as these documents are available.

When documentation is presented to the Office of Student Conduct & CARE, a verified absence notification will be sent to the student's instructors.  With a verified absence notification from the OSCC, no penalty will be applied to a student's absence for reasons of hospitalization, emergency department, or urgent care visit, 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, or OSCC to review and consult on their situation.

Extended Medical Absences

A student who has or acquires a disability-related medical condition requiring extended absences from class must contact the Disability Access Center (DAC) to request an official University accommodation. The student will be expected to provide medical documentation related to the request for an absence-related accommodation.  If approved by the DAC, instructors are required to work with students to implement the accommodation and provide reasonable alternatives to meeting course requirements.

In certain laboratory-based, intensive short-term courses, or field-experience courses, an unreasonable number of absences can fundamentally alter the course objectives and a student can jeopardize their academic status, 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 DAC, in collaboration with 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 DAC and their instructor to determine the potential impact of any absence.

When making a decision about the length of a given absence the DAC, in collaboration with the instructor, will consider variables such as state licensing requirements or national professional standards for a program. At times, absences may be approved, but hours/experiences in the field, practicum, internships, etc., must be completed before the course is completed.  The instructor may award an incomplete grade.

Medical Excused Absence Request Form

As outlined in section 3.10.2 of the student code of conduct: The University values a community with diverse backgrounds and traditions and recognizes that conflicts between regularly scheduled curricular activities and religious observances of some members of our community can arise.
Instructors are urged to be sensitive to the fact that scheduling of examinations, class assignments, meetings, and other significant events on certain holidays or days of religious observance may place some members of the Purdue Fort Wayne community in a very difficult situation. Instructors' cooperation with students in rescheduling coursework missed due to absences resulting from participation in religious observances is appreciated.
Students requesting an absence for a religious observation are encouraged to make this known to instructors well in advance, in order to arrange alternative times to complete any assignments they might miss.

We recommend students talk with their professors to help bridge the gap between a personal/family situation, illness or injury, or any other matters that may be impacting ability to temporarily attend classes, focus on classwork, and/or meet academic deadlines.

To assist with communications, we recommend the following tips to students:

• Email professor from your PFW email address to convey initial situation.
• Discrete language you can use: medical reasons, unexpected personal situation, on-going health needs, family situation, etc.
• Utilize professor's office hours or ask to schedule an appointment to follow-up about missed coursework.
• Plan ahead to discuss missed work: quizzes, assignments, exams, class participation.
• Try to create an action plan with the professor after meeting.
• Continue to follow-up with professors.
• If you feel you have been wrongly denied an excused absence or the opportunity to make up missed work by an instructor, you should contact the head of the department offering the course to attempt to resolve the matter.

Example emails to professors:

Example #1

Dear Professor (professor's name),

I am writing to share with you that I have not been able to attend your class (course name and time of course) on the following dates (insert dates here) due to (insert situation here; i.e. illness/flu) situation.  I have been trying to catch-up on course work as best as possible.

Can we set up a time to meet and discuss missed work and possible next steps?

Thank you in advance for your time. I look forward to talking to you soon.

Sincerely,

Your name  
--

Example #2

Dear Professor (professor's name),

I am writing to share with you that I will be unable to attend your class (course name and time of course) on the following dates (insert dates here) due to (insert situation here; i.e. illness/flu) situation. I hope to maintain and complete all course requirements that I will miss during my time away.

Can we set up a time to meet and discuss my upcoming absence and coursework?

Thank you in advance for your time. I look forward to talking to you soon.

Sincerely,

Your name