RE: [tips] Student excuses

[Tim Shearon]

Raechel
I'd second that. I do try to be flexible and listen to their dilemmas- but they 
are often poorly veiled examples of lack of planning or any preparation. I had 
a student last spring who was working as an EMT (local ambulance) and working 
full time on Life-Flight. She made all but 3 classes (admittedly sometimes 
looking a bit fatigued) took all the tests and turned in her paper on time. It 
wasn't her best work and she squeaked out an A- (that's not her usual 
standard). It made it easier to decide about the person who "got in late" or 
"didn't feel my best" as excuses for missing a test or late written work. Hope 
everyone is enjoying the end of term or, better still, is enjoying that summer 
reading list. (We aren't done with Finals till Friday)
Tim

___
Timothy O. Shearon, PhD
Professor and Chairperson, Department of Psychology
The College of Idaho
Caldwell, ID 83605
email: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu
Webpage: http://www.collegeofidaho.edu/psychology

teaching: intro to neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; general; history and 
systems



-Original Message-
From: Raechel Soicher [mailto:raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 11:50 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: Re: [tips] Student excuses

Whenever I start to think I need to be more flexible, I think of my students 
who are successful in spite of true adversity.

Case in point, one of my students was unemployed, started the semester, her 
mother backed over her infant daughter in the driveway, and the daughter was 
subsequently in a full-body cast all semester.

In addition to this, the student then landed a full-time job (which was an 
overnight shift at Wal-Mart) and so would come straight to school after work, 
attend 3 classes, and then return home to be a caregiver to her immobile infant.

This student earned a B in my class and had very few absences, in addition to 
communicating with me weekly about her situation (and NEVER requesting 
exceptions to any course policies).

So many of my students amaze me, but it's always good to remind myself of the 
ones that do so in a positive way.

Raechel Soicher
raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu
Santa Fe College

 Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all 
correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to 
disclosure.

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44734
or send a blank email to 
leave-44734-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44761
or send a blank email to 
leave-44761-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

Re: [tips] Student excuses

[Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.]

> On May 11, 2015, at 4:58 PM, Stuart McKelvie  wrote:
> 
> Anyone have a list of professor excuses for not getting papers back on time?

My #1 excuse: “I spent too much time responding to emails and phone calls from 
students who didn’t hand their papers in on time.”

My #2 excuse: “I got really drunk when I was done responding to students’ 
excuses."

Best,
Jeff

-- 
-
Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Curriculum Vitae 
-
Scottsdale Community College
9000 E. Chaparral Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
Office: SB-123
Phone: (480) 423-6213
Fax: (480) 423-6298


---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44755
or send a blank email to 
leave-44755-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

RE:[tips] Student excuses

[Pollak, Edward]

My very favourite student excuse: "I can't take the exam that day because it's 
my birthday."

Talk about a feeling of entitlement!  Argh.



Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/
Editor of "Ed's Bluegrass Newsletter" at 
http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/bgnews.htm
Husband, father, grandfather, bluegrass fiddler & 
biopsychologist... in approximate order of importance






This e-mail message was sent from a retired or emeritus status employee of West 
Chester University.

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44751
or send a blank email to 
leave-44751-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

RE: [tips] Student excuses

[Wuensch, Karl L]

  What works best is something like “explosive diarrhea.”  Nobody ever 
calls you on that one, and if they start to question you just start giving the 
gory details of the symptoms.

Cheers,
[Karl L. Wuensch]<http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/klw.htm>
From: Beth Benoit [mailto:beth.ben...@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 7:16 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: Re: [tips] Student excuses



Mine seem to always have a "personal issue."  Clearly, that covers anything and 
everything.  I have a blanket two absences only rule.  They don't need to tell 
me what their "personal issue" is (though they usually do, for some reason...I 
guess hoping I'll extend the number of absences they're allowed, though I 
almost never do) and I suggest they save those two for emergencies.  If they 
miss a test (I give four throughout the semester), they take a makeup on the 
day of the final.  ​

Beth Benoit

On Mon, May 11, 2015 at 6:42 PM, Tim Shearon 
mailto:tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu>> wrote:
Robin
Mine seem to have hard disk crashes very frequently during the end of term 
(I've been putting warnings about backing up and keeping hard copies of each 
draft for some time). But is it just me or do more Grandfathers seem to be 
dying all of a sudden?
Tim


-Original Message-
From: Robin Musselman [mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu<mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu>]
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 4:38 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Student excuses

Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned that dead 
grandmothers have been replaced by.?

I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I just can't 
remember. Anyone who can help me?

Robin Musselman
rmussel...@lccc.edu<mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu>

Sent from my iPhone
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: 
tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu<mailto:tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu>.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44692
or send a blank email to 
leave-44692-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu<mailto:leave-44692-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu>

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: 
beth.ben...@gmail.com<mailto:beth.ben...@gmail.com>.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aaf72&n=T&l=tips&o=44693
or send a blank email to 
leave-44693-13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aa...@fsulist.frostburg.edu<mailto:leave-44693-13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aa...@fsulist.frostburg.edu>


---

You are currently subscribed to tips as: 
wuens...@ecu.edu<mailto:wuens...@ecu.edu>.

To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13060.c78b93d4d09ef6235e9d494b3534420e&n=T&l=tips&o=44694

(It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken)

or send a blank email to 
leave-44694-13060.c78b93d4d09ef6235e9d494b35344...@fsulist.frostburg.edu<mailto:leave-44694-13060.c78b93d4d09ef6235e9d494b35344...@fsulist.frostburg.edu>

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44739
or send a blank email to 
leave-44739-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

RE: [tips] Student excuses

[Stuart McKelvie]

Dear Tipsters,

Raechel's point is well taken. We should have a policy for exceptions, but the 
granting of them must be done with care. One problem is that we often do not 
know about the students who quietly work away, dealing with "personal issues", 
and who never ask for a break. I always felt that I had to be careful when 
granting an exception if I know of a similar case where no exception was sought.

The idea of thinking of what other students are doing also occurs when 
discovering academic dishonesty. When I have discovered cheating or plagiarism, 
I think not only of the very high achieving students who did honest work, but 
also of the students who do not excel, but earn their mediocre grade honestly. 

Sincerely,

Stuart




___
   "Floreat Labore"

  
"Recti cultus pectora roborant"
  
Stuart J. McKelvie, Ph.D., Phone: 819 822 9600 x 2402 
Department of Psychology,     Fax: 819 822 9661
Bishop's University,
2600 rue College,
Sherbrooke,
Québec J1M 1Z7,
Canada.
 
E-mail: stuart.mckel...@ubishops.ca (or smcke...@ubishops.ca)

Bishop's University Psychology Department Web Page: 
http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy

 Floreat Labore"

 


___




-Original Message-
From: Raechel Soicher [mailto:raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu] 
Sent: May 12, 2015 1:50 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: Re: [tips] Student excuses

Whenever I start to think I need to be more flexible, I think of my students 
who are successful in spite of true adversity.

Case in point, one of my students was unemployed, started the semester, her 
mother backed over her infant daughter in the driveway, and the daughter was 
subsequently in a full-body cast all semester.

In addition to this, the student then landed a full-time job (which was an 
overnight shift at Wal-Mart) and so would come straight to school after work, 
attend 3 classes, and then return home to be a caregiver to her immobile infant.

This student earned a B in my class and had very few absences, in addition to 
communicating with me weekly about her situation (and NEVER requesting 
exceptions to any course policies).

So many of my students amaze me, but it's always good to remind myself of the 
ones that do so in a positive way.

Raechel Soicher
raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu
Santa Fe College

 Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all 
correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to 
disclosure.

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: smcke...@ubishops.ca.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13510.2cc18398df2e6692fffc29a610cb72e3&n=T&l=tips&o=44734
or send a blank email to 
leave-44734-13510.2cc18398df2e6692fffc29a610cb7...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44737
or send a blank email to 
leave-44737-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

Re: [tips] Student excuses

[Raechel Soicher]

Whenever I start to think I need to be more flexible, I think of my students 
who are successful in spite of true adversity.

Case in point, one of my students was unemployed, started the semester, her 
mother backed over her infant daughter in the driveway, and the daughter was 
subsequently in a full-body cast all semester.

In addition to this, the student then landed a full-time job (which was an 
overnight shift at Wal-Mart) and so would come straight to school after work, 
attend 3 classes, and then return home to be a caregiver to her immobile infant.

This student earned a B in my class and had very few absences, in addition to 
communicating with me weekly about her situation (and NEVER requesting 
exceptions to any course policies).

So many of my students amaze me, but it's always good to remind myself of the 
ones that do so in a positive way.

Raechel Soicher
raechel.soic...@sfcollege.edu
Santa Fe College

 Please note that Florida has a broad public records law, and that all 
correspondence to or from College employees via email may be subject to 
disclosure.

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44734
or send a blank email to 
leave-44734-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

RE:[tips] Student excuses

[Stuart McKelvie]

Dear Tipsters,

The part of Tim's answer that I liked particularly was "but I just remind 
them what the syllabus says.and then remind them that it's their choice to 
miss or not but that there are consequences to decisions."

That is an important lesson for life. It is similar to respecting deadlines. 
Life has many deadlines that you must meet and consequences flow from not 
meeting them (e.g. tax returns).

Sincerely,

Stuart


___
   "Floreat Labore"

  
"Recti cultus pectora roborant"
  
Stuart J. McKelvie, Ph.D., Phone: 819 822 9600 x 2402 
Department of Psychology,     Fax: 819 822 9661
Bishop's University,
2600 rue College,
Sherbrooke,
Québec J1M 1Z7,
Canada.
 
E-mail: stuart.mckel...@ubishops.ca (or smcke...@ubishops.ca)

Bishop's University Psychology Department Web Page: 
http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy

 Floreat Labore"

 


___




-Original Message-
From: Tim Shearon [mailto:tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu] 
Sent: May 12, 2015 11:54 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: RE:[tips] Student excuses

Annette
I've had a few like this- truly entitled. I suspect that it's more complex than 
mere poor parenting by a new generation- but I just remind them what the 
syllabus says, if necessary what being an adult entails including commitments 
etc., and then remind them that it's their choice to miss or not but that there 
are consequences to decisions. I've had students miss a test and 2 classes for 
exactly the same kind of thing (also, family reunions, birth of a sister's 
baby, my mom is moving, taking my friends cat to be spayed, etc.). A few are 
shocked that you don't just cave- one even appealed my decision to my dean who 
basically told them to grow up (sometimes I really like him!). :) I think my 
most interesting one was the student who emailed me to let me know her paper, 
one of six, would not be on time because they were having pledge week in her 
sorority. I just reminded her that they were allowed to drop one grade and that 
if she decided to get it in late that she should just use that as her drop- she 
replied, "But I'm saving that for something unexpected!" Ultimately she got it 
in on time.
Tim

-Original Message-
From: Annette Taylor [mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 9:18 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: Re:[tips] Student excuses

I just had an email from a student who cannot take the final exam because she 
is in her brother's wedding party on the next day. However, she has a solid A+ 
in the course (which, I will grant, is highly exceptional), and feels that she 
knows the material and would like to be excused. She feels that this is a 
sufficiently compelling excuse to satisfy my usual exam policy (I let students 
miss one exam if they have a documented, compelling excuse). She included a 
copy of the wedding invitation as her documentation. 

I am serious here, folks. Being in a wedding? She JUST found out about the 
wedding? She waited until one week before the scheduled time for the final exam 
to email me? She failed to note that the usual exam policy excludes the final 
exam. 

I responded back by email that that just will not do. I explained that being in 
the wedding party is not a compelling excuse and listed examples: serious 
illness (documented); death of an immediate family member (documented); major 
transportation failure (documented), etc. She has failed to respond back. I 
wonder if she'll come to class for the exam?

I'm still flabbergasted. Have times changed? Am I missing something? Am I 
getting too old for this profession?

Annette


Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Professor, Psychological Sciences
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
tay...@sandiego.edu
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44722
or send a blank email to 
leave-44722-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: smcke...@ubishops.ca.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13510.2cc18398df2e6692fffc29a610cb72e3&n=T&l=tips&o=44724
or send a blank email to 
leave-44724-13510.2cc18398df2e6692fffc29a610cb7...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.e

RE:[tips] Student excuses

[Tim Shearon]

Annette
I've had a few like this- truly entitled. I suspect that it's more complex than 
mere poor parenting by a new generation- but I just remind them what the 
syllabus says, if necessary what being an adult entails including commitments 
etc., and then remind them that it's their choice to miss or not but that there 
are consequences to decisions. I've had students miss a test and 2 classes for 
exactly the same kind of thing (also, family reunions, birth of a sister's 
baby, my mom is moving, taking my friends cat to be spayed, etc.). A few are 
shocked that you don't just cave- one even appealed my decision to my dean who 
basically told them to grow up (sometimes I really like him!). :) I think my 
most interesting one was the student who emailed me to let me know her paper, 
one of six, would not be on time because they were having pledge week in her 
sorority. I just reminded her that they were allowed to drop one grade and that 
if she decided to get it in late that she should just use that as her drop- she 
replied, "But I'm saving that for something unexpected!" Ultimately she got it 
in on time.
Tim

-Original Message-
From: Annette Taylor [mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 9:18 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: Re:[tips] Student excuses

I just had an email from a student who cannot take the final exam because she 
is in her brother's wedding party on the next day. However, she has a solid A+ 
in the course (which, I will grant, is highly exceptional), and feels that she 
knows the material and would like to be excused. She feels that this is a 
sufficiently compelling excuse to satisfy my usual exam policy (I let students 
miss one exam if they have a documented, compelling excuse). She included a 
copy of the wedding invitation as her documentation. 

I am serious here, folks. Being in a wedding? She JUST found out about the 
wedding? She waited until one week before the scheduled time for the final exam 
to email me? She failed to note that the usual exam policy excludes the final 
exam. 

I responded back by email that that just will not do. I explained that being in 
the wedding party is not a compelling excuse and listed examples: serious 
illness (documented); death of an immediate family member (documented); major 
transportation failure (documented), etc. She has failed to respond back. I 
wonder if she'll come to class for the exam?

I'm still flabbergasted. Have times changed? Am I missing something? Am I 
getting too old for this profession?

Annette


Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Professor, Psychological Sciences
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
tay...@sandiego.edu
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44722
or send a blank email to 
leave-44722-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44724
or send a blank email to 
leave-44724-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

Re:[tips] Student excuses

[Annette Taylor]

I just had an email from a student who cannot take the final exam because she 
is in her brother's wedding party on the next day. However, she has a solid A+ 
in the course (which, I will grant, is highly exceptional), and feels that she 
knows the material and would like to be excused. She feels that this is a 
sufficiently compelling excuse to satisfy my usual exam policy (I let students 
miss one exam if they have a documented, compelling excuse). She included a 
copy of the wedding invitation as her documentation. 

I am serious here, folks. Being in a wedding? She JUST found out about the 
wedding? She waited until one week before the scheduled time for the final exam 
to email me? She failed to note that the usual exam policy excludes the final 
exam. 

I responded back by email that that just will not do. I explained that being in 
the wedding party is not a compelling excuse and listed examples: serious 
illness (documented); death of an immediate family member (documented); major 
transportation failure (documented), etc. She has failed to respond back. I 
wonder if she'll come to class for the exam?

I'm still flabbergasted. Have times changed? Am I missing something? Am I 
getting too old for this profession?

Annette


Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Professor, Psychological Sciences
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
tay...@sandiego.edu
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44722
or send a blank email to 
leave-44722-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

Re: [tips] Student excuses

[Paul C Bernhardt]

I have a similar policy to Beth’s, but it’s really about cell phone control.

They are allowed up to 3 absences for TTh classes and 4 absences for MWF 
classes, I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused. Obviously, 
exceptional circumstances occur and are allowed. A student was called up for 
National Guard duty (Baltimore Protests) and missed some classes. I will not be 
penalizing him for the ’National Guard Absences'.

After the allowed absences, their ‘attendance and professional behavior’ grade 
begins to drop proportionally. It is worth about 10% of their grade. Other 
things that count as simple absences: Emails that are grammatically 
incomprehensible or lack the course number in the subject line, telephone 
messages that do not provide sufficient context for me to interpret the issue, 
phone calls in which the student forgets to tell me their name and what class 
they are in.

How this ties into cell phones. If I see a student’s cell phone they are 
counted as absent that day. I just mark it on the roll and it is tallied in a 
special column on our LMS grade book. I don’t call them out, I just note it on 
my roll and tally it. All cell phone absences count against attendance and 
professional behavior grade, there is no 3 freebie allowance.

I see between zero and 3 cell phones while lecturing in each class each 
semester. Modal number is probably 1. At the start of the semester there is no 
‘cell phone absence column’. When a student gets caught, the column appears and 
the whole class knows that at least one student has been docked points for 
their cell phone being seen.

Because, I care about the distraction of cell phones, but I don’t actually care 
much about absences (hence not distinguishing excused from unexcused). After 
all, they are grown ups and part of life is making prioritizing judgements in a 
variety of situations. The price I pay for caring about cell phones is that I 
have to act like I care about absences.

Paul

Paul C Bernhardt, Ph.D.
Guild 215
301-687-4410
Office Hours for Spring 2015
M 12:30-1:30; T 3:30-4:30; WF 3:00-4:30
Schedule meetings anytime via
https://drbernhardt.youcanbook.me

On May 11, 2015, at 9:52 PM, John Kulig 
mailto:ku...@mail.plymouth.edu>> wrote:









I got a lot of flat tires this semester, plus a few of personal issues as well 
.. Thanks Beth for nudging me into thinking about an attendance policy for next 
fall (I try to write syllabi at the end of every semester). Beth's post is also 
interesting as we teach at the same institution and PSU has a policy that 
distinguishes excused from no excused absences but the definition of 'excused' 
is a little vague. Besides the usual college sponsored events and death in 
family, our policy makes reference to unusual circumstances which opens the 
door for interpretation .. By the way, IMO Beth's students tell her why they 
are absent because she is a very popular and personable instructor ...

==
John W. Kulig, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Coordinator, Psychology Honors
Plymouth State University
Plymouth NH 03264
==


From: "Beth Benoit" mailto:beth.ben...@gmail.com>>
To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" 
mailto:tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu>>
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 07:15:53 PM
Subject: Re: [tips] Student excuses






Mine seem to always have a "personal issue."  Clearly, that covers anything and 
everything.  I have a blanket two absences only rule.  They don't need to tell 
me what their "personal issue" is (though they usually do, for some reason...I 
guess hoping I'll extend the number of absences they're allowed, though I 
almost never do) and I suggest they save those two for emergencies.  If they 
miss a test (I give four throughout the semester), they take a makeup on the 
day of the final.  ​

Beth Benoit

On Mon, May 11, 2015 at 6:42 PM, Tim Shearon 
mailto:tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu>> wrote:
Robin
Mine seem to have hard disk crashes very frequently during the end of term 
(I've been putting warnings about backing up and keeping hard copies of each 
draft for some time). But is it just me or do more Grandfathers seem to be 
dying all of a sudden?
Tim


-Original Message-
From: Robin Musselman [mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu<mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu>]
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 4:38 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Student excuses

Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned that dead 
grandmothers have been replaced by.?

I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I just can't 
remember. Anyone who can help me?

Robin Musselman
rmussel...@lccc.edu<mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu>

Sent from my iPhone
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: 
t

Re: [tips] Student excuses

[John Kulig]

I got a lot of flat tires this semester, plus a few of personal issues as well 
.. Thanks Beth for nudging me into thinking about an attendance policy for next 
fall (I try to write syllabi at the end of every semester). Beth's post is also 
interesting as we teach at the same institution and PSU has a policy that 
distinguishes excused from no excused absences but the definition of 'excused' 
is a little vague. Besides the usual college sponsored events and death in 
family, our policy makes reference to unusual circumstances which opens the 
door for interpretation .. By the way, IMO Beth's students tell her why they 
are absent because she is a very popular and personable instructor ... 

== 
John W. Kulig, Ph.D. 
Professor of Psychology 
Coordinator, Psychology Honors 
Plymouth State University 
Plymouth NH 03264 
== 

From: "Beth Benoit"  
To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" 
 
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 07:15:53 PM 
Subject: Re: [tips] Student excuses 

Mine seem to always have a "personal issue." Clearly, that covers anything and 
everything. I have a blanket two absences only rule. They don't need to tell me 
what their "personal issue" is (though they usually do, for some reason...I 
guess hoping I'll extend the number of absences they're allowed, though I 
almost never do) and I suggest they save those two for emergencies. If they 
miss a test (I give four throughout the semester), they take a makeup on the 
day of the final. ​ 

Beth Benoit 

On Mon, May 11, 2015 at 6:42 PM, Tim Shearon < tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu > 
wrote: 

> Robin
> Mine seem to have hard disk crashes very frequently during the end of term 
> (I've
> been putting warnings about backing up and keeping hard copies of each draft
> for some time). But is it just me or do more Grandfathers seem to be dying all
> of a sudden?
> Tim

> -Original Message-
> From: Robin Musselman [mailto: rmussel...@lccc.edu ]
> Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 4:38 PM
> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
> Subject: [tips] Student excuses

> Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned that dead
> grandmothers have been replaced by.?

> I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I just can't
> remember. Anyone who can help me?

> Robin Musselman
> rmussel...@lccc.edu

> Sent from my iPhone
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu .
> To unsubscribe click here:
> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44692
> or send a blank email to
> leave-44692-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: beth.ben...@gmail.com .
> To unsubscribe click here:
> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aaf72&n=T&l=tips&o=44693
> or send a blank email to
> leave-44693-13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aa...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

--- 

You are currently subscribed to tips as: ku...@mail.plymouth.edu . 

To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13338.f659d005276678c0696b7f6beda66454&n=T&l=tips&o=44694
 

(It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) 

or send a blank email to 
leave-44694-13338.f659d005276678c0696b7f6beda66...@fsulist.frostburg.edu 

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44700
or send a blank email to 
leave-44700-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

Re: [tips] Student excuses

[Christopher Green]

> On May 11, 2015, at 7:58 PM, Stuart McKelvie  wrote:

> Anyone have a list of professor excuses for not getting papers back on time?

Because I'm the professor. :-)

Chris
...
Christopher D Green
Department of Psychology
York University
Toronto, ON   M3J 1P3

chri...@yorku.ca
http://www.yorku.ca/christo


---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44699
or send a blank email to 
leave-44699-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

RE: [tips] Student excuses

[Stuart McKelvie]

Dear Tipsters,

Anyone have a list of professor excuses for not getting papers back on time?

Sincerely,

Stuart

__
"Recti Cultus Pectora Roborant"

Stuart J. McKelvie, Ph.D.,
Department of Psychology,
Bishop's University,
2600 rue College,
Sherbrooke (Borough of Lennoxville),
QC J1M 1Z7,
Canada.
stuart.mckel...@ubishops.ca
(819)822-9600X2402

"Floreat Labore"
__

From: Jim Matiya [mailto:jmat...@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 7:51 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: RE: [tips] Student excuses






>From Doug Bernstein...

The following list2 is organized in accordance with the student excuse category 
system established in 1986 by Martin Schwartz in his groundbreaking article 
entitled "An experimental investigation of bad karma and its relationship to 
the grades of college students" (Journal of Polymorphous Perversity, 3, 9-12. 
This is a real reference, folks; grade-point average was inversely related to 
frequency of excuses). Here we go:

Grandparental Death. This old favorite needs no description, but one 
professor's class established what must be a world's record when 14 out of 250 
students reported their grandmothers dead just before the final exam.

Friend/Relative Accident/Illness. "I missed the exam because of my uncle's 
funeral, and I can't take the make-up test tomorrow because I just found out my 
aunt has a brain tumor." "I can't take the test on Friday because my mother is 
having a vasectomy."

Automobile Problems. "I'm late for the test because I hit a toilet in the 
middle of the road." "I had an accident, the police impounded my car, and my 
paper is in the glove compartment."

Animal Trauma. "I can't be at the exam because my cat is having kittens and I'm 
her coach." "I don't have my paper done because my guide dog has a bladder 
infection and I've been taking her to the vet." "My paper is late because my 
sister's dog had to have her puppies delivered by Caeserian section." "I 
couldn't be at the exam because I had to attend the funeral of my girlfriend's 
dog." "My paper is late because my parrot crapped into my computer."

Crime Victimization. "I need to take the final early because the husband of the 
woman I am seeing is threatening to kill me." "I can't take the test because 
some guys upstairs chinned themselves on the sprinkler pipes, which broke and 
soaked my apartment. And cross-list this one with automobile problems: "I 
missed the exam because someone stole all my tires."

Other. "I want to reschedule the final because my grandmother is a nun." "I'm 
too happy to give my presentation tomorrow." (The contributor noted: "This was 
easily fixed.") "I can't finish my paper because I just found out my girlfriend 
is a nymphomaniac." "I'm too depressed to take the exam; I just found my 
girlfriend in bed with another man." Note slipped under lab door before an 
experiment: "I am unable to come to lab because I don't have time." "I can't 
take the exam on Monday because my mom is getting married on Sunday and I'll be 
too drunk to drive back to school." Finally, there is the excuse given by two 
students who, after sitting next to each other during an exam, were asked why 
their answer sheets contained identical responses to different forms of the 
test: "We studied together."

Jim Matiya

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a 
listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of 
which have the potential to turn a life around...Leo Buscaglia

> From: m...@nyu.edu<mailto:m...@nyu.edu>
> To: tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu<mailto:tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu>
> CC: m...@nyu.edu<mailto:m...@nyu.edu>
> Subject: re: [tips] Student excuses
> Date: Mon, 11 May 2015 19:23:54 -0400
>
> On Mon, 11 May 2015 15:39:01 -0700, Robin Musselman wrote:
> >Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned
> >that dead grandmothers have been replaced by.?
> >I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I
> >just
> >can't remember. Anyone who can help me?
>
> I think you might be referring to a Tips thread that Nancy Melucci
> started back in September 2014. Here is a link to a response
> by Miguel Roig on Mail Archive that will put you in the middle of
> the thread (go to the bottom to get links to all of the responses):
> http://www.mail-archive.com/tips%40fsulist.frostburg.edu/msg12144.html
>
> I don't remember if someone/thing (some people get upset if
> their computer di

RE: [tips] Student excuses

[Jim Matiya]

>From Doug Bernstein...

The following list2 is organized in accordance with the 
student excuse category system established in 1986 by Martin Schwartz in
 his groundbreaking article entitled "An experimental investigation of 
bad karma and its relationship to the grades of college students" (Journal of 
Polymorphous Perversity, 3, 9-12. This is a real reference, folks; grade-point 
average was inversely related to frequency of excuses). Here we go:



Grandparental Death. This old favorite needs no description, 
but one professor's class established what must be a world's record when
 14 out of 250 students reported their grandmothers dead just before the
 final exam.



Friend/Relative Accident/Illness. "I missed the exam because of
 my uncle's funeral, and I can't take the make-up test tomorrow because I
 just found out my aunt has a brain tumor." "I can't take the test on 
Friday because my mother is having a vasectomy."



Automobile Problems. "I'm late for the test because I hit a 
toilet in the middle of the road." "I had an accident, the police 
impounded my car, and my paper is in the glove compartment."



Animal Trauma. "I can't be at the exam because my cat is having
 kittens and I'm her coach." "I don't have my paper done because my 
guide dog has a bladder infection and I've been taking her to the vet." 
"My paper is late because my sister's dog had to have her puppies 
delivered by Caeserian section." "I couldn't be at the exam because I 
had to attend the funeral of my girlfriend's dog." "My paper is late 
because my parrot crapped into my computer."



Crime Victimization. "I need to take the final early because 
the husband of the woman I am seeing is threatening to kill me." "I 
can't take the test because some guys upstairs chinned themselves on the
 sprinkler pipes, which broke and soaked my apartment. And cross-list 
this one with automobile problems: "I missed the exam because someone 
stole all my tires."



Other. "I want to reschedule the final because my grandmother 
is a nun." "I'm too happy to give my presentation tomorrow." (The 
contributor noted: "This was easily fixed.") "I can't finish my paper 
because I just found out my girlfriend is a nymphomaniac." "I'm too 
depressed to take the exam; I just found my girlfriend in bed with 
another man." Note slipped under lab door before an experiment: "I am 
unable to come to lab because I don't have time." "I can't take the exam
 on Monday because my mom is getting married on Sunday and I'll be too 
drunk to drive back to school." Finally, there is the excuse given by 
two students who, after sitting next to each other during an exam, were 
asked why their answer sheets contained identical responses to different
 forms of the test: "We studied together."


Jim Matiya 

Too often we underestimate
 the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest 
compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the 
potential to turn a life around...Leo Buscaglia


> From: m...@nyu.edu
> To: tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu
> CC: m...@nyu.edu
> Subject: re: [tips] Student excuses
> Date: Mon, 11 May 2015 19:23:54 -0400
> 
> On Mon, 11 May 2015 15:39:01 -0700, Robin Musselman wrote:
> >Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned
> >that dead grandmothers have been replaced by.?
> >I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I 
> >just
> >can't remember. Anyone who can help me?
> 
> I think you might be referring to a Tips thread that Nancy Melucci
> started back in September 2014.  Here is a link to a response
> by Miguel Roig on Mail Archive that will put you in the middle of
> the thread (go to the bottom to get links to all of the responses):
> http://www.mail-archive.com/tips%40fsulist.frostburg.edu/msg12144.html
> 
> I don't remember if someone/thing (some people get upset if
> their computer dies; I hope we're not in "Her" territory here) has
> replaced grandma/pa but you can examine the thread.
> 
> Also, Chris Green posted on Tips a message about the
> best student excuses back in August 2012; see:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/tips%40fsulist.frostburg.edu/msg08531.html
> 
> The basis for his post was an article on the "Inside Higher
> Education" website on the "Best Student Excuses":
> https://www.insideh

re: [tips] Student excuses

[Mike Palij]

On Mon, 11 May 2015 15:39:01 -0700, Robin Musselman wrote:

Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned
that dead grandmothers have been replaced by.?
I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I 
just

can't remember. Anyone who can help me?


I think you might be referring to a Tips thread that Nancy Melucci
started back in September 2014.  Here is a link to a response
by Miguel Roig on Mail Archive that will put you in the middle of
the thread (go to the bottom to get links to all of the responses):
http://www.mail-archive.com/tips%40fsulist.frostburg.edu/msg12144.html

I don't remember if someone/thing (some people get upset if
their computer dies; I hope we're not in "Her" territory here) has
replaced grandma/pa but you can examine the thread.

Also, Chris Green posted on Tips a message about the
best student excuses back in August 2012; see:
http://www.mail-archive.com/tips%40fsulist.frostburg.edu/msg08531.html

The basis for his post was an article on the "Inside Higher
Education" website on the "Best Student Excuses":
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/08/30/british-lecturer-compiles-best-student-excuses
NOTE: Don't forget to look at the comments below the
article.

-Mike Palij
New York University
m...@nyu.edu

P.S. So, I guess most Tipsters are gonna binge view all summer. ;-)





---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44695
or send a blank email to 
leave-44695-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

Re: [tips] Student excuses

[Beth Benoit]

Mine seem to always have a "personal issue."  Clearly, that covers anything
and everything.  I have a blanket two absences only rule.  They don't need
to tell me what their "personal issue" is (though they usually do, for some
reason...I guess hoping I'll extend the number of absences they're allowed,
though I almost never do) and I suggest they save those two for
emergencies.  If they miss a test (I give four throughout the semester),
they take a makeup on the day of the final.  ​

Beth Benoit

On Mon, May 11, 2015 at 6:42 PM, Tim Shearon 
wrote:

> Robin
> Mine seem to have hard disk crashes very frequently during the end of term
> (I've been putting warnings about backing up and keeping hard copies of
> each draft for some time). But is it just me or do more Grandfathers seem
> to be dying all of a sudden?
> Tim
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Robin Musselman [mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu]
> Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 4:38 PM
> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
> Subject: [tips] Student excuses
>
> Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned that
> dead grandmothers have been replaced by.?
>
> I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I just
> can't remember. Anyone who can help me?
>
> Robin Musselman
> rmussel...@lccc.edu
>
> Sent from my iPhone
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu.
> To unsubscribe click here:
> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44692
> or send a blank email to
> leave-44692-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: beth.ben...@gmail.com.
> To unsubscribe click here:
> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aaf72&n=T&l=tips&o=44693
> or send a blank email to
> leave-44693-13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aa...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
>

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44694
or send a blank email to 
leave-44694-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

RE: [tips] Student excuses

[Tim Shearon]

Robin
Mine seem to have hard disk crashes very frequently during the end of term 
(I've been putting warnings about backing up and keeping hard copies of each 
draft for some time). But is it just me or do more Grandfathers seem to be 
dying all of a sudden? 
Tim


-Original Message-
From: Robin Musselman [mailto:rmussel...@lccc.edu] 
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 4:38 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Student excuses

Talking to a colleague today about student excuses and I mentioned that dead 
grandmothers have been replaced by.?

I'm fairly certain the substitute was mentioned on this list, but I just can't 
remember. Anyone who can help me?

Robin Musselman
rmussel...@lccc.edu

Sent from my iPhone
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b177a&n=T&l=tips&o=44692
or send a blank email to 
leave-44692-13545.bae00fb8b4115786ba5dbbb67b9b1...@fsulist.frostburg.edu

---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com.
To unsubscribe click here: 
http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=44693
or send a blank email to 
leave-44693-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu