While the guidelines allow for flexibility, they can also lead to confusion. Students don’t know what their professors will accept, and what, if any, proof they need to present to back up their reasons for missing class. It's become common for course syllabi to say doctor's notes are required, though professors don't always enforce that policy — and MSU discourages the practice altogether. 

For Jonathan Choti, associate professor of Swahili and African cultures, he appreciates the flexibility of this policy to assess absences case by case. 

Choti allows his students up to three excused absences over the course of the semester. Whether that is for illness, traveling, job interviews or emergencies, it doesn’t matter. However, once students exceed their three absences, points are deducted from their participation grade in class unless he feels a specific circumstance warrants another excused absence.

"(The policy), for me, is a great thing because each professor is different, each class is different, and it gives me freedom to see how best I can support my students," Choti said. "I am the one who is in touch with the student for 15 or so weeks a semester, so I like the policy and I use it to support my students."

For Anika Seri, a senior in political science, the university’s policy has not often supported her. Most of her classes allow for two excused absences until the professors start deducting points. 

When Seri had tonsillitis, her professor asked for a doctor's note so that she wouldn’t lose points. She said she’s sure she would’ve lost points if she hadn’t provided the letter.

However, university spokesperson Amber McCann said doctor's notes "should not be commonplace at the university level due to students' varying access to healthcare and privacy concerns."

The university’s Campus Health Services also says faculty should not request doctor’s notes to excuse a student from a short-term absence, or for missing an exam due to illness. That’s because the practice results in students making appointments for the sole purpose of getting a doctor’s note.

"This takes up valuable resources and time that could be spent seeing students that truly need medical care," the Campus Health Services website says.

Instead of requiring a doctor’s note, Campus Health Services suggests that attendance policies should allow for routine short-term absences "due to self-reported illnesses, including contagious illnesses, which are extremely common for university students and usually do not require medical care." However, in cases where a longer-term illness is ongoing and requires medical care, then professors should ask for doctor’s notes. 

McCann said MSU leaves the attendance policy up to the discretion of individual professors because they "are in the best position to work with students to accommodate absences and ensure they are able to keep up with coursework to meet the objectives of the class."

Since the decision to grant excused absences is primarily left to professors, Seri faces challenges with their varying approaches. While some of her professors are lenient, others enforce stricter policies, making it difficult to navigate attendance expectations, she said. 

"I get that professors don’t want people missing their classes, but at the same time, students pay for these classes," Seri said. "So I feel like it should be up to the students when they want to come in and when they don’t."

While Choti appreciates the policy from a professor’s perspective, he understands this feeling may not be reciprocated for the students.

"The discretion is a great thing, except if students think that some professors use it to hurt their performance and be rigid," Choti said. "Students have a right to resist and approach these instances case by case so that they can benefit from the education. The education is made for the student, not the professor."

McCann noted that students who feel that a professor’s attendance policy is unfair or disproportionately harming them can reach out to the University Ombudsperson Office, a confidential place for students, faculty and staff to discuss both academic and non-academic concerns.