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Fort Lewis College Official Seal

Policy identification number: To come...

File: Academic Policies / Instructional Policies

Disenrollment Policy

Policy summary

Instructors have the option, but not the obligation, to disenroll students for non-attendance during the first four days of the week in which the course meets for the first time.

Policy Owner

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Approval Date

July 27, 2021

Effective Date

July 27, 2021

Search Terms

 pvpaa, d, disenrollment 

Scheduled for Review

 Spring 2025

Policy Statement

Instructors have the option, but not the obligation, to disenroll a student from a class if and only if the student has missed at least one scheduled class during the first four days of the week in which the course is scheduled to meet for the first time. For courses that meet online, instructors must include in their syllabi the form of student participation that will be counted in lieu of physical attendance.

Reason for Policy 

Enforcement of this policy will (a) allow students greater access to desired courses by removing no-shows from a class roster thereby opening space for interested students and (b) emphasize the academic responsibilities that begin with the first day of class.

Responsibilities 

For following policy:  All undergraduate students

For enforcement of policy:  Individual instructors

For oversight of policy:  Provost 

For notification:  Policy Librarian

For procedures implementing policy:  Registrar

Definitions 

Instructor’ means any instructor of record for any offered course.

Procedures

Instructors should email the name of the student and the CRN of the related class to nonattendance@fortlewis.edu no later than 4:00 pm on the fourth day of the week in which the class is scheduled to meet for the first time.

Consumer Information 

The policy should be advertised in the course catalog as follows:

Instructors have the option. but not the obligation, to disenroll a student from a class if and only if the student has missed at least one scheduled class during the first four days of the week in which the course is scheduled to meet for the first time.  For courses that meet online, instructors must include in their syllabi the form of student participation that will be counted in lieu of physical attendance. The goal of this policy is to allow students greater access to desired courses and to emphasize the academic responsibilities that begin with the first day of class.

According to this policy, if a student misses even one scheduled class meeting during the first four days of the week in which the course starts, the student could be dropped from the course. If that course is a pre-requisite or co-requisite for other courses, those other courses will be dropped as well. However, non-attendance does not constitute a course drop, course withdrawal, or semester withdrawal. Not all faculty use this option so if you need to drop a course please follow directions on dropping courses

Students who are disenrolled per policy will be notified by the Registrar's Office via email.

Revision History

Optional Disenrollment Policy initially approved on Jan. 16, 2013 by Faculty Senate. This revision revises the title of the policy, formats the policy in the approved policy template, specifies the language to be presented to students in the Academic Policy & Procedure section of the Catalog of Courses, and adds a procedural statement.