Students are expected to attend all sessions of the classes in which they are registered and to attend all associated lecture programs and meetings. Progress as an artist depends not only on completion of assignments but also on full participation in dialogue with studio and academic classes. All absences will count towards a student’s absence total for the semester unless approved as an extenuating circumstance absence by the Dean of Students. Students are responsible for all missed class material, including assignments and tests, when absent from class. Each faculty member is required to take, and to maintain records of, class attendance. CIA’s absence limits are as follows:

*Faculty may factor tardiness into determining if a student is absent. Tardiness policies should be stated on the course syllabus.

**Note: for studio courses that meet in 2 sessions over 1 day, missing 1 of the 2 sessions will be counted as 0.5 absence.

To uphold the integrity of the educational content and curricula, absences exceeding the limits as outlined above will result in failure of the course in which the absences occurred. A student who exceeds the absence limit in any class should meet with their Academic Advisor to discuss the impact of the course failure on their academic progress.

 An absence from a final critique or exam will result in automatic failure of the project or exam.

Students who plan to be absent due to religious observances should notify their faculty members at least 2 weeks prior to the pre-planned absence. These absences count against the absence limit and students are responsible for all missed work.

The absence limits as described above, are adequate for minor illnesses, doctor’s appointments, transportation issues, weather concerns and other instances that are not exceptionally rare and unforeseen. In the case of an absence due to extenuating circumstances that a student wishes to not count against the absence limits listed above, the student must submit the Extenuating Circumstance Absence Request Form within 10 calendar days (limited exceptions apply) of the absence for review by the Dean of Students. The use of this form should be extremely limited as most absences do not qualify as extenuating.

Extenuating circumstances are generally defined as exceptionally rare, unforeseen, and short-term circumstances which may cause a student to be absent from class. These terms are defined as follows:

• Exceptionally rare is defined as a circumstance that is markedly different from the student’s usual daily life activities.
• Unforeseen is defined as a circumstance that is outside of the student’s control and was not preventable. This includes the student’s responsibility for making a reasonable attempt at utilizing College-provided resources, policies and procedures available to assist in their success.
• Short-term is defined as a circumstance that is temporary and will not require on-going intervention past a reasonable time period.

Upon receiving the Extenuating Circumstance Absence Request Form, the Dean of Students will make a determination as to the classification of the absence as approved or not approved or will request additional outstanding/clarification information from the student. The student and faculty member(s) will be notified via CIA email of the determination no later than 10 calendar days after the request and all necessary information is received by the Dean of Students. Sharing of information impacting the decision will be at the sole discretion of the Dean of Students and will prioritize student privacy and dignity. If an absence is deemed approved as an extenuating circumstance, it will not be counted in the absence limits noted above and the student will be responsible for all missed work and course requirements for the approved date(s). The student will be required to make arrangements with the faculty member(s) to determine a reasonable timeline for completing missed work and course requirements for the approved date(s). This timeline will be at the sole discretion of the faculty member.

In the case of an absence submitted via the Extenuating Circumstance Absence Request Form which is determined to be not approved by the Dean of Students, the student may file an appeal with the Vice President of Academic Affairs + Provost within 3 calendar days on specific grounds. Disagreement with the decision alone is not sufficient for an appeal. Appeals must be submitted via CIA email to [email protected] with [email protected] copied and must include the student’s name and ID number and must indicate on which ground the student believes the decision should be appealed (options below):

• Through no fault of the student, Information/documentation pertinent to the decision was missing at the time of the decision. Note: The student will be required to submit the additional information/documentation as part of the appeal along with an explanation of why the information/documentation was not provided in the original request.
• Through no fault of the student, College policy was not followed and had a direct impact on the decision at the time of the decision. Note: The student will be required to identify which policy was not followed, documentation showing the policy was not followed, and a description of how the decision may have been different if the policy had been followed.

Upon receiving an appeal request, the Vice President of Academic Affairs + Provost will make a determination as to the classification of the original decision as upheld or overturned or will request additional outstanding/clarification information from the student. The student, faculty member(s), and Dean of Students will be notified via CIA email of the determination no later than 10 calendar days after the request and all necessary information is received by the Vice President of Academic Affairs + Provost. Decisions that are overturned will result in the absence being classified as extenuating and the absence will not be counted in the absence limits noted above and the student will be responsible for all missed work and course requirements for the approved date(s). The student will be required to make arrangements with the faculty member(s) to determine a reasonable timeline for completing missed work and course requirements for the approved date(s). This timeline will be at the sole discretion of the faculty member. Decisions that are upheld will maintain an absence classification as not approved. All appeal decisions are final and binding.

Important Notes:

• Students receiving approved extenuating circumstance absences are not guaranteed to pass their courses.
• Students are able to fail a course due to exceeding the absence limits beyond approved extenuating circumstance absences.
• Students are able to fail a course due to not completing course requirements regardless of approved extenuating circumstance absences.
• Students are encouraged to meet with their faculty members and Academic Advisor to discuss their options for success in their courses when they are experiencing absences (whether due to extenuating circumstances or otherwise).

At CIA, we value students' total educational experience, including its curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular components. All departments, academic and other, are encouraged to minimize the scheduling during established class meeting hours of events at which student participation is required or desired, including but not limited to extra class meetings, professional development opportunities, field trips, and other organized activities. When conflicts exist, all parties (students, faculty, and staff) should work together so that the student can meet their academic obligations and participate in extracurricular events. If agreement about an appropriate accommodation cannot be reached, the student's obligations to classes meeting on their posted schedules will take priority.

All students attending instruction-related trips or tours that require travel away from CIA must sign an approved release form in advance of the trip that declares they will not make a claim against the college or its personnel/representatives for injury or damage sustained while on the trip. Release forms should be returned to the faculty member leading the trip before the event. All CIA policies are in effect during sponsored excursions away from campus.