Kaitlyn Kupiec
@kaitlynkupiec
It’s 7 a.m., and your alarm begins to blare at an unreasonable hour – well, at least for a college student. As you groggily reach for the snooze button, a sinking feeling settles in your stomach – you’re not just tired; you’re sick. The dilemma begins to unfold. Do you email your professors, sacrificing a day of rest while facing the consequences of being marked absent, or do you drag yourself out of bed and battle through a day of classes?
Rather than composing lengthy emails to your professors and exaggerating your illness, a simpler approach is to send a text to your mom. She can then call the institution, inform them of your condition and you can easily secure an excused absence without any penalty.
But, guess what? Life isn’t that simple anymore. We’re adults now since we can make our own choices, take care of ourselves and take on the responsibility of catching up on work when missing class.
What are we supposed to do when we’re sick enough that we can’t go to class, but not sick enough to go to the doctor? Most professors will excuse students if they show proof of a doctor’s note, but if you have a fever or a cold that doesn’t really need a doctor’s visit, how do you prove you’re sick enough to stay in bed?
This is one of the often overlooked challenges of being a student. The strict attendance policies are designed to instill discipline, but these policies can become a significant barrier when bedridden.
“Even if I’m horribly sick and I let my professors know, missing class without a doctor’s note will still count against you,” said senior Jaélen Daubon.
Sometimes a cold can feel like more than just a cold. Sometimes the initial scratchiness in the throat intensifies with each swallow, creating constant irritation. Breathing becomes a challenge as nasal passages fluctuate between congestion and a relentless drip. Breathing feels like gasping for air on Mars, while coughing takes up the silence with its persistent hacking. Fatigue seeps into every limb, causing your muscles and joints to ache. Even something as simple as opening your eyes feels like a monumental effort, as a dull headache tightens its grip on your temples. Throughout the day, the cold leaves you longing for relief or restored health as you begin to remember what life was like when you could breathe normally out of your nose.
Even in instances where the professor doesn’t care if you show up or not, there’s still the additional challenge of catching up on missed work. While some classes provide easy access to materials through online slides or lecture videos, there are occasions when you miss an important exam or you have to hand in a hard copy of a paper.
I understand that institutions can’t give out unlimited sick days, but when I have to leave class and blow my nose five times, maybe that’s a sign I should have stayed in my dorm.
“As students, we’re expected to still show up to class even if we’re sick. Usually, the only excuses are illnesses like COVID or the flu,” Daubon said. “And sometimes having a cold feels just as bad, if not worse.”
Institutions and professors need to understand that, as students, we’re not designed for perfect attendance. Acknowledging the human element in education and implementing more adaptable attendance policies will help ease the burden faced by unwell students.
A great way around penalizing a student who may have a legitimate reason for missing class is to provide an alternative for missed content. Hosting Zoom meetings for students who are sick may go a long way in ensuring they don’t feel left behind on important class content or information. Offering opportunities for students to catch up on missing activities, such as attending a workshop event or online materials, recorded lectures, peer tutoring or office hours, may make students feel less stressed about their situation.
But for now, we have to suck it up and be in class, or we jeopardize our grades before even reaching the halfway point in the semester.
Or, I guess, you can just ask your mom to call in sick for you.
Photo courtesy of Phuc Tran