From: Faculty and Research E-Memo (memofrom@Colorado.EDU)
Date: Wed Aug 26 2009 - 19:16:36 MDT
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:16:36 -0600 (MDT) From: Faculty and Research E-Memo <memofrom@Colorado.EDU> Subject: Faculty Rights Regarding Class Conficts with Intercollegiate
TO: Boulder Campus Teaching & Research Faculty,
Deans, Directors, Dept Chairs, System Administration
FROM: Boulder Faculty Assembly
SENDER: Maureen Ryan
DATE: August 27, 2009
SUBJECT: Faculty Rights Regarding Class Conficts with Intercollegiate
Athletic Events
The following information details faculty rights and student
responsibilities when an intercollegiate athlete's competition schedule
conflicts with the athlete's class attendance and other class
responsibilities.
Boulder Faculty Assembly
Executive Committee
Motion Regarding Class Conflicts
BFA-X--M-033009
MOVED that the BFA affirm the following campus policies and practices
regarding conflicts between classes and intercollegiate varsity athletic
events:
- It is the student's responsibility to notify each instructor--in the first
week of the semester and in writing--about any known conflicts between
academic requirements and intercollegiate varsity athletic events.
- For conflicts that arise during the regular term, instructors have full
authority to decide whether and/or how to accommodate those conflicts.
- While an instructor has the right to refuse to allow make-ups or other
accommodations, he or she is permitted to provide such accommodations.
- Intercollegiate varsity athletics events during final exams, which are
normally forbidden by university policy, must be approved in writing by the
BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee well in advance of the event.
Students involved in these events must then work with their instructors in
regard to any missed work, as required above.
Further MOVED that:
- The BFA consider a general statement of policy in the case of
accommodation of conflicts that arise when students are representing
CU-Boulder.
- The attached report be reviewed on an annual basis by the IAC, and be sent
out to all teaching faculty at CUB by the BFA before classes start every
year.
From BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee: March 30, 2009 Approved as
amended by the BFA Executive Committee: March 30, 2009 Notice of motion to
the BFA: April 2, 2009 Approved as amended by the BFA: April 30, 2009
___________________________
Report:
This motion summarizes campus policies and practices regarding conflicts
between classes and athletic events. This information is intended to help
guide decisions about how to deal with conflicts when they arise, and it may
be especially useful for new or junior faculty. Because this document was
prepared by the BFA Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, with the
cooperation of the Department of Athletics, it focuses on conflicts between
classes and NCAA-sanctioned intercollegiate varsity sports scheduled through
the Department of Athletics. It does not address conflicts involving club
sports, which are organized through the Student Recreation Center
( http://www.colorado.edu/rec-center/clubsports/ ).
Students participating in NCAA-sanctioned intercollegiate competitions are
representing CU-Boulder. As such, they are bound by the CU honor code and
the student-athlete code of ethics, as well as by the general policies of
CU-Boulder (http://www.colorado.edu/policies/appealsguide.html)
and the specific policies of the Department of Athletics.
Normally, schedules for these competitions are known well in advance.
It is the student-athlete's responsibility to notify instructors at the
beginning of the semester about any known conflicts between classes or tests
and athletic events. To facilitate this, the Office of Academic Support
Services in the Department of Athletics identifies potential conflicts and
provides written notifications about them to each student-athlete, for hand
delivery to their instructors. When these conflicts interfere with the
learning goals of the course (as, for example, when athletic team practice
conflicts with a required weekly lab), that student generally should not
enroll in that particular course during the term in question.
Conflicts can sometimes arise with little advance notice, however -- e.g.,
when a student-athlete makes the travel roster and/or qualifies for a game
or tournament at the last minute. In that event, the student-athlete may be
unable to provide much advance notice of an upcoming absence.
The BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee strongly encourages instructors
to try to resolve the resulting conflicts in ways that neither unduly
penalize the student-athlete nor provide him or her with an unfair
advantage.
For conflicts that arise during the regular term, instructors have full
authority to decide whether and/or how to accommodate those conflicts.
While an instructor has the right to refuse to allow make-ups or other
accommodations, he or she is permitted to provide such accommodations.
Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to, allowing
assignments to be turned in late, scheduling early or make-up tests, or
excusing the absence in classes where attendance is taken. The Office of
Academic Support Services in the Department of Athletics can help in several
ways when conflicts arise. For instance, should the absence occur on the day
of a scheduled quiz or exam, members of the Office of Academic Support
Services staff or the faculty athletics representative can assist in
proctoring the quiz or exam at a convenient time for the faculty member and
student-athlete.
During final exams, when university policy generally forbids participation
in athletic competitions, any exceptions must be approved by the BFA
Intercollegiate Athletics Committee as well as by the instructor involved.
Recent examples include several track athletes and a soccer player who were
invited to Olympic qualifying events during spring semester exams. In those
cases, with the concurrence of the instructors and in consultation with the
Office of Academic Support Services in Athletics, our committee has
authorized exceptions.
To avoid any real or perceived pressure, CU policy forbids coaches from
initiating contact with instructors regarding schedule conflicts, grades, or
academic progress. Faculty may be contacted, however, by the staff of the
Office of Academic Support Services to provide notification about a
student-athlete's injury, surgery, or illness; to assist in rescheduling
exams, tests, or quizzes; or simply to check on the progress of a
student-athlete in a particular course. Any instructor who feels that
inappropriate contact has Director, the Director of Academic Support
Services (tinyurl.com/b6sywe), or any member of the BFA Committee on
Intercollegiate Athletics (tinyurl.com/anpck2).
There is no rule forbidding instructors from contacting athletics staff. In
fact, the Office of Academic Support Services welcomes communication with
instructors regarding their concerns about class conflicts, as well as about
matters involving attendance, academic performance, or classroom behavior.
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