Attendance Policy

Attending examinations and other required exercise, as specified by the course director and responsible instructor at the beginning of a course, is mandatory. Except in cases of emergency, the following are acceptable absences so long as an Absence Petition is submitted at least 6 weeks in advance.

• Attendance at the annual SAVMA Symposium or required SCAVMA delegate activities
• When a student is the presenting author of a WSU faculty-mentored project at a scientific meeting.
• A medical or family emergency.
• Military or legal obligations such as subpoena or jury duty.

Petitions for permission to reschedule an exam or required exercise on the basis of extra-ordinary personal circumstances shall be submitted to the Attendance Committee. The petitioning process begins by completing an Absence Petition. The request form must besubmitted at least 6 weeks in advance of the personal circumstance.

The Attendance Committee shall be made up of the Associate Dean of Professional Programs and two (2) members of the teaching faculty. Students in years one through three will nominate three faculty and the CVM faculty will nominate three faculty. The Dean will appoint one student-nominated and one faculty-nominated person to be primary members of the three-person Attendance Committee and one student-nominated and one faculty-nominated person to serve as alternates. The alternates will participate in the event a committee member is not available to evaluate a petition. The appointed and alternate members of the Attendance Committee will each serve three-year terms.

In general, meetings not covered above by bullets “1” and “2” will not be considered as extraordinary personal circumstances. Since most important family events and extracurricular activities can be scheduled well in advance, as a rule these activities will not be considered as extraordinary personal circumstances. The majority decision of the three-member Attendance Committee is final. An unexcused absence from an examination or specified group exercise will result in the student not being allowed to take the examination or repeat the exercise. The student will lose a single letter grade (or equivalent loss in class ranking in S/F courses) from the final course grade or receive a zero for the exercise dependent upon the decision of the course director. If an exercise is required to pass a course, an unexcused absence will result in failure of the course.

CVM teaching faculty teaching in the DVM curriculum may choose to utilize low-stakes, in-class teaching activities that generate points for a particular course. These points may in turn count towards the final course grade and course/class ranking.  However, these low-stakes learning activities must (a) have a valid pedagogical purpose that requires a student’s physical presence, (b) not actually represent a surrogate system for required attendance, and (c) not amount to more than 10% of the total points for the course. It is also the instructor’s responsibility to clearly communicate to students at least 24 hours prior to a session if a low-stakes, in-class activity that generates points will be used so that students can make informed decisions. Students who choose not to attend lectures, labs, and other educational events where these activities have been scheduled must accept that they are sacrificing any points that might be awarded.

Approved by the general faculty on June 16, 2003.

Students in years 1 – 3 can complete an Absence Petition here.

Please note that it is our goal to respond to your absence petition within a week of its submission, but there are times that this may not be feasible.

All students are expected to inform the necessary faculty of the absence and coordinate with faculty to find a time to complete makeups for the activity that will be missed BEFORE submitting an absence request. Attending examinations and other required exercises, as specified by the course director and responsible instructor at the beginning of a course, is mandatory. Except in cases of emergency, the following are acceptable absences so long as an Absence Petition is submitted at least 6 weeks in advance.

• Attendance at the annual SAVMA Symposium or required SCAVMA delegate activities.
• When a student is the presenting author of a WSU faculty-mentored project at a scientific meeting.
• For the purpose of professional development, each second- or third- year student is allowed to attend one conference per academic year, in addition to the SAVMA Symposium, presenting research, or receiving a scholarship. Acceptable Professional Conferences that meet expectations of this policy include, but are not restricted to, the following: NAVC, WVC, AAHA, SAVMA, AVMA, AABP, PNWVC, AAEP, ACVIM, and IVECCS. Listed below are essential points of the policy that need to be addressed by students as part of the Absence Petition. Please do not commit money (travel or lodging) toward attending the event until you have approval to attend.
  • The activity may be a scientific meeting or professional meeting but must be a professional development experience that is based on a scientific or professional conference format.
  • Each student must provide an acceptable explanation on how the experience will benefit their own professional development.
  • Students are responsible for all academic risks associated with missing lectures labs and other academic activities relating to absences for professional development.
• A medical or family emergency
• Military or legal obligations such as subpoena or jury duty.

There are certain “required activities” that are not amenable to makeup, and there will be no excused absences to miss those experiences. This list includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• 2nd year Fall semester
  • Diagnostic Challenge Exercises
  • Clinical Pathology Exams
• 2nd year Spring semester
  • Communication Laboratory
• 3rd year Fall semester
  • Small Animal Surgery Laboratory
  • Communication Laboratory
• 3rd year Spring semester
  • Small Animal Surgery Laboratory
  • Theriogenology Laboratory

Petitions for permission to reschedule an exam or required exercise on the basis of extra-ordinary personal circumstances shall be submitted to the Attendance Committee. The petitioning process begins by completing an Absence Petition. The petition must be submitted at least 6 weeks in advance of the personal circumstance.

The Attendance Committee shall be made up of the Associate Dean of Professional Programs and two (2) members of the teaching faculty. Students in years one through three will nominate three faculty and the CVM faculty will nominate three faculty. The Dean will appoint one student-nominated and one faculty-nominated person to be primary members of the three-person Attendance Committee and one student-nominated and one faculty-nominated person to serve as alternates. The alternates will participate in the event a committee member is not available to evaluate a petition. The appointed and alternate members of the Attendance Committee will each serve three-year terms.

In general, meetings not covered above by bullets one through five will not be considered as extraordinary personal circumstances. Since most important family events and extracurricular activities can be scheduled well in advance, as a rule these activities will not be considered as extraordinary personal circumstances. The majority decision of the 3-member Attendance Committee is final. An unexcused absence from an examination or specified group exercise will result in the student not being allowed to take the examination or repeat the exercise. The student will lose a single letter grade (or equivalent loss in class ranking in S/F courses) from the final course grade or receive a zero for the exercise dependent upon the decision of the course director. If an exercise is required to pass a course, an unexcused absence will result in failure of the course.

CVM teaching faculty teaching in the DVM curriculum may choose to utilize low-stakes, in-class teaching activities that generate points for a particular course. These points may in turn count towards the final course grade and course/class ranking.  However, these low-stakes learning activities must (a) have a valid pedagogical purpose that requires a student’s physical presence, (b) not actually represent a surrogate system for required attendance, and (c) not amount to more than 10% of the total points for the course. It is also the instructor’s responsibility to clearly communicate to students at least 24 hours prior to a session if a low-stakes, in-class activity that generates points will be used so that students can make informed decisions. Students who choose not to attend lectures, labs, and other educational events where these activities have been scheduled must accept that they are sacrificing any points that might be awarded.

Approved by the general faculty on June 16, 2003.

Students in years 1 – 3 can complete an Absence Petition here.

Please note that it is our goal to respond to your absence petition within a week of its submission, but there are times that this may not be feasible.

• Attendance in the rotations is mandatory.
• Each student may take up to three (3) days for personal leave. These absences are approved by the faculty. The impact of a student absence on the service is decided by the senior clinician in charge of that service and they may deny the request. Failure to obtain permission from the senior clinician for an anticipated absence will be considered an unexcused absence. Personal days cannot be used on the first day of a rotation.
• Cases of emergency or illness do not constitute a personal day but must still be communicated with both service clinicians and Student Services. Absences in excess of 10% of any clinical rotation must be made up by rescheduling with the instructor responsible for the rotation. Accumulation of more than five absences for illness or other emergencies over the course of the clinical year will require a student to make up the missed days.
• Make up time may occur during vacation time or an extension of duties beyond the normal end of the senior year.
• Any unexcused absence will result in failure of the rotation.

STUDENT: To request a personal day

Contact the senior clinician(s) in charge of the block at least two weeks in advance of the rotation’s start date.

• Once initial approval has been received, complete a Personal Day Request in eValue to document your absence.
• Complete makeup work, as needed.
• If the absence will affect the emergency/on-call/backup schedules or weekend patient care, appropriate arrangements must be made per those section’s protocols. Students have a special obligation to ensure that their responsibilities are transferred or covered as part of their request for leave. The transfer of patient care should be to a student on the same service (advising the attending clinician of that change) and the student should confirm that relevant emergency duty rosters reflect the name and telephone/pager numbers of their replacement as necessary.

STUDENT: Requesting a Personal Day in eValue (after receiving clinician approval)

1. Login in to eValue via the CVM internal webpage.
2. Select the Learning Modules tab in the top menu.
3. Select Initiate Ad hoc Coursework.
4. Fill out the form as follows:
   1. Rotation/Course: Y4 2022
   2. Site: Unassigned
   3. Time Frame: Y4 2022
   4. Coursework: Personal Day Request
5. For the Grader, select the lead clinician you have been discussing this absence with. Once completed, the form will go to them for final signature.
6. Select the green Next button.
7. Complete the form and hit Submit.

STUDENT: Reviewing Your Personal Day Requests

1. Login in to eValue via the CVM internal webpage.
2. Select the Reports tab in the top menu.
3. Select Completed Coursework by Trainee or Grader.
4. Fill in search parameters, such as appropriate dates and coursework type “Personal Day Request”.
5. Select View Coursework for the form you wish to see.

FACULTY: Approving a Personal Day in eValue

1. Login in to eValue via the CVM internal webpage or using an automated notice email link.
2. Select the Learning Modules tab at the top of the page, then select Grade Coursework OR select the Urgent Tasks link from your eValue homepage.
3. Select Click to Grade Coursework next to the Personal Day Request you wish to approve.
4. Complete the form’s last two questions, then select Submit.

It is not uncommon for DVM students to receive notification that they are eligible to be summonsed for jury. When summonsed, students will often request letters of support from the CVM to relieve them from jury duty. This general practice, in absence of specific considerations, has created some concern in the courts.

From discussions that the CVM has had with the courts and the office of the Attorney General’s Office at WSU, we have been advised on how best to approach requests for DVM student dismissal from jury duty.

The discussion has been in context of the Superior Court, from which most summons originate, not the district or federal Courts. If summonsed by district or federal courts, students may request a support letter, although it is less clear how this will be received. 

The following summarizes the main points:

• Students will be notified by the court if they are eligible for the jury pool. This notification does not mean that a student will be summ• Students will be notified by the court if they are eligible for the jury pool. This notification does not mean that a student will be summonsed, only that the student is in the pool of potential jurors. While the student personally may send information about challenges that selection for jury duty may cause, the CVM will not send a support letter at this time.
• If summonsed, a student may request a support letter from the CVM regarding potential hardship (academically related) that might be caused by serving on a jury. The request may be supported by the CVM, or not, based on consideration of the issues, examples of which are listed below, but please note: The CVM can only send letters of support, it cannot excuse a student from jury duty, as that decision is ultimately up to the court.
  • o A primary consideration is that all citizens have a civic duty to serve on juries, unless doing so will result in hardship of an excessive nature.
  • For students in first through third years in the curriculum, missing more than one week of class would be considered a potential hardship that may translate into academic deficiencies from which a student could have difficulty recovering. Consequently, if a trial is projected to last more than one week, the CVM will write a support letter to excuse the student from jury duty. In this scenario, the CVM will work with students who miss classes and required exercises, such as exams, just as if the student missed these activities due to an illness.
  • There are other activities, such as Diagnostic Challenges and Junior Surgery, in which makeups are not possible, or difficult to accomplish, and a letter of support from the CVM would likely be provided under circumstances of this kind.
  • For 4^th year students, missing even one or two days of a clinical rotation can create deficiencies that would lead to delays in graduation, and the CVM will provide letters of support explaining the potential hardship related to circumstances of this kind. However, no letter will be provided in relation to vacation time, as responsibility for explaining conflicts during vacation times is that of the student. 

REVISED PROPOSAL: June 30, 2018; Adopted by a vote of the Curriculum Committee

CVM teaching faculty teaching in the DVM curriculum may choose to utilize low-stakes, in-class teaching activities that generate points for a particular course. These points may in turn count towards the final course grade and course/class ranking. Examples include “clicker” questions (student response systems), pre-session case preparation exercises, in class or online quizzes, etc.

However, these low-stakes learning activities must (a) have a valid pedagogical purpose that requires a student’s physical presence (A learning activity that is designed to keep students from falling behind may or may not also require students’ physical presence in class, depending on how that activity is used or built upon pedagogically during the session.), (b) not actually represent a surrogate system for required attendance, and (c) not amount to more than 10% of the total points for the course. It is also the instructor’s responsibility to clearly communicate to students at least 24 hours prior to a session if a low- stakes, in-class activity that generates points will be used so that students can make informed decisions. The schedule for these activities can also be communicated to students via the syllabus. This policy in no ways precludes the use of in-class activities that do not generate points.

Students who choose not to attend lectures, labs, and other educational events where these activities have been scheduled must accept that they are sacrificing any points that might be awarded. Although the effects are most likely to be minor considering the small number of points involved, students should understand that sacrificing these points has the potential to affect their grade and/or course rank. In the case of student illness or other unforeseen/unavoidable circumstances, the instructor has the option to provide a make-up assignment or accept a late submission of the activity or exercise.