Currently there is no university-wide grief absence policy. This might change if University Council’s recommendations are heeded.
The University Committee on Undergraduate Education presented its recommendations to University Council on Tuesday, citing the need to create a policy “pertaining to students who lose a close family member” during an academic semester.
Students without research responsibilities would be required by the proposed policy to notify the associate dean or designee of their college no later than one week from the time they learn of the situation, provide verification to the associate dean and complete all missed work in consultation with the instructors of the classes missed.
Associate deans will be required to verify proof of the claim, inform the instructors and “receive verification of the authenticity of a grief absence request upon the student’s return.”
Instructors too will be expected to make “reasonable accommodations” for students and provide language in each course syllabus.
The policy for students with research responsibilities and doctoral students will have to inform their adviser or “major professor” instead, but all other parts of the policy apply. Research assistants will have to inform their employers and develop a plan for covering their responsibilities.
MSU’s College of Human Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Law graduate students are already covered by individual; college policies and are exempted from the proposed new one.
Matthew Pontifex, a member of the task force who has been preparing the policy for four years after having the language challenged by the Steering Committee and a number of others, presented the recommendations to the council.
He said from both a student and faculty perspective, these were necessary changes.
“At present they receive varying degrees of accommodations,” he said, which range from “too bad” to “take the semester off.”
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies for the College of Engineering Thomas Wolff said although the policy will create more work for associate deans, he is nevertheless supportive.
“I don’t know if this policy is perfect, but I think it’s much more important to have a policy,” he said.
ASMSU President James Conwell and Vice President for Academic Affairs Teresa Bitner also endorsed the policy.
