Commuter

Issue date: 2/15/04 Section: News

Journalism professor Rob Hays once heard an unlikely excuse from a student who'd missed class. The student claimed that burglars had tied him up while they ransacked his home.

Hays was skeptical but reserved judgment. The next day he was surprised to read a newspaper report of the break-in. The student had been on the level.

Confirming the truth of students' excuses for absences can be difficult. Rebecca Dean says she doesn't believe the excuses unless students provide reliable proof, such as a medical certificate.

"You can't lie. A lie is stupid. You are always caught," says Dean, associate professor of Communications and Theater.

Colleen Spitko, instructor of Hotel/Restaurant Management, believes excuses about half of the time. It's usually the same student with a new excuse, she says.

The most typical student excuses include illness, car trouble and work-related problems, say faculty members.

Family emergencies are another favorite excuse. At the end of a semester, professors tend to have running jokes about how many grandmothers died during the semester, English professor Allison Carpenter says.

Some excuses are unique.

Mario Acerra, professor of Communications and Theater, has heard his share of stories. A student once told him, "I have to follow my heart to Miami, so I missed classes and deadlines."

Acerra replied, "I hope your heart can help you with your projects or you won't be passing the course."

Dean heard a curious excuse. A student who had given an anti-abortion speech in class told her that he missed class because he went to the hospital with his girlfriend for her abortion.

Economics professor Miroslaw Paczuski heard that a student went to sleep in his car.

Nursing professor Judith Williams was sorry to hear that a student started vomiting en route to classes and turned around.

A student of Computer Science professor Kevin Manna said he was absent because he couldn't find anyone to watch his new dog.

Sports is sometimes cited as the reason students arrive late for class or must leave early, says Photography professor Dennis Danko.

Faculty often never know for sure whether the excuse is true or not. Some excuses are valid.

"I've never lied about absence," says sophomore Joseph Owens who has two children. "Sometimes I have to miss class for my kids."

Student excuses don't really matter to some professors. Carpenter allows students to miss class beyond the number permitted by the College's policy, she says.

But if a student is absent that much, "they really shouldn't stay in the class," she says.

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