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It appears that CU has no official, campus-wide attendance policy. As many of us know, there’s nothing really forcing us to go to class, so when is it OK to skip? Are there ways to justify it?
Personally, I see nothing wrong with rewarding myself when I work hard, or giving myself that extra hour in the middle of the day for a long lunch. Yes, I feel a little guilty sometimes, but as an adult in my last year at CU, there are some times when I just need a personal day. There are, however, opposing opinions about the morality of playing hooky. While some students do it freely, some steer clear.
“College is more important,” freshman psychology major Nicole Maranville said. “I’m paying for my education, so I should just go to class.”
Though she’s just a first-year, she plans to hold her absences to a minimum and keep her grades high.
When asked about missing class to make up work for another, Maranville said, “If it was a really big grade, maybe, but I think I’d try to manage my time better so that it wouldn’t come down to that.”
I do believe props are in order for this young Buff’s attempts at time management. Best of luck when finals are creeping up, and there are a couple of 10-pagers due right before.
It’s only the third week of school and I have missed two classes so far. Missing class is my responsibility. As seniors, our mommies aren’t standing in our doorway yelling at us to get up for school anymore. That decision is all on our own.
So the question remains: When is it okay to skip class, and is it better to plan it or just go with the sudden urges to not go?
“It’s more like I plan it in advance, rather than just, ‘Oh, I don’t feel like going,’ especially lately with the upper-divisions,” said senior Brita Mines, an ecology and evolutionary biology major. “I find that I try to miss even less classes as a senior, especially because they’re a lot harder to catch up on.”
Personally, my biggest reason for skipping a class is usually to work on homework or essays for another class when I know there is nothing important that I’m missing. Of course, there is also the occasional overwhelming thought of how unbelievably comfy my bed feels, but more often than not, my conscience drags me out.
As a senior, I know how hard it can be to keep up with the syllabus, but I also can’t help but think that this is my last year and I’ve earned a few days of hooky after three years of hard work. As long as my grades aren’t suffering, what’s a few extra personal days? In my first years at CU, I rarely skipped class, and my ditch days haven’t increased much over the years. But this year, I can’t help but want to reward myself with a half-week vacation during the third week of class and perhaps my own snow day when the ski resorts start to open up.
While others may not agree with my justifications, I’m sure there are some of you senior Buffs that agree with me. So if you choose to skip class, my advice in doing so? Spread out the absences, remember the class policies, plan ahead and stay on track.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Corie Thompson at Corie.Thompson@colorado.edu.
