What about the inevitable student excuse that "my family already paid
for my ticket before the syllabus was available, so if I take the test
when scheduled it will cost them or me more money."  Further, assume
that the ticket was indeed purchased before the syllabus was available.

Tom Z

-----Original Message-----
From: Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) Talk
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Swaine, Edward
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 9:24 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: students missing finals

       1.  Well, for what it's worth, I don't see any noteworthy tension
between an opposition to affirmative action and a desire for clemency as
to exams, or vice-versa, and would hate to make my policy dependent on
others seeing that link.  Anyway, why wouldn't there be two equally
legitimate outcomes to this thought experiment: (1) the student who,
seeing the wisdom of being tough on exam scheduling, starts to think
that she should oppose affirmative action, and (2) the student who,
seeing the desirability of being accommodating on exams, starts to think
that he should believe in affirmative action?  I think either student
would be deeply, deeply confused.
       2.  Since I'm in your mailboxes already, as to the original
question, I would reject the explanation ("I wrote it down wrong") on
the ground that it is an unreasonable excuse, but not on the ground that
no excuses are acceptable.  It's bothered me in the past when I've heard
faculty fumble for a pedagogical explanation for settling on an absolute
policy, and claim that being strict teaches responsibility and serves as
a wake-up call for students as to what awaits them after graduation.
But that is *not* how the real world usually works: sometimes
individuals missing deadlines are excused when they have a compelling,
credible explanation.  (Put aside manuscript deadlines.  Any illusions I
had on this question were dispelled when David Boies successfully argued
this fall that his untimely notice of appeal - formerly subject to the
strictest deadline in the federal courts - could be excused because an
underling screwed up.)  I fear the real lesson is that some individuals,
when given unfettered power to establish rules or to make a decision
about them, will *elect* not to accept any excuses and to impose the
most extreme sanction at their disposal.  This is a lesson, of sorts,
but not a model of behavior, at least not in my view.
       3.    As to Frank's point about leverage -- it is an excellent
one, but I've puzzled over how to treat students who have missed my
finals because they were busy running errands for me.  They seem
curiously reluctant to offer kickbacks.  Thoughts?
       
       
       -----Original Message-----
From: Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) Talk
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Terence Lau
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 9:31 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: students missing finals
       
       I ask my students on the first day of class how they feel about
       affirmative action.  Invariably, UD being a private Catholic
school, the
       vast majority (usually greater than 95%, even the minority
students)
       express displeasure with affirmative action in education and in
the
       workplace.  When I ask them why they feel that way, invariably
they
       respond that they don't like seeing others get an unfair
advantage, that
       everyone should be treated equally, that hard work and
determination
       should be the only factors that count towards success, etc. etc.
       
       Then I ask them what the difference is between college admissions
or
       company HR granting affirmative action and someone saying, "I
missed the
       exam, can I have a makeup," or "I was playing in a tournament,
can I have
       an extension on the paper, or "I'm going home on a family
vacation to
       France, can I take the exam early."  I tell them that since they
don't
       like affirmative action, I too shall take a no-affirmative-action
policy,
       so unless a student can justify to me why they deserve to be
treated
       differently than everyone else, my answer will be "no."
       
       I find this approach both allows me to be tough but fair for
legitimate
       excuses (I've personally limited legitimacy to the student or
immediate
       family member's illness), while also forcing a re-examination of
       affirmative action at the same time.
       
       
       
       -----Original Message-----
       From: Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) Talk
       [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
[log in to unmask]
       Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 10:44 AM
       To: [log in to unmask]
       Subject: students missing finals
       
       I seem to have an epidemic this year of students missing the
final, and
       wanting to make it up.  In all but one case, the only excuse is:
I wrote
       it down wrong.
       
       This means they didn't read the syllabus very carefully, missed
several
       in-class announcements, didn't double check the official schedule
etc.
       
       I'm just wondering what others do in this situation.  One of my
colleagues
       said she refused to give the student a make-up, but that student
was
       flunking the class anyway.
       
       I have to say, I'm getting a bit fed-up with their level of
       irresponsibility!