Short-Term Injury or Illness

In the case of an illness or personal emergency that may result in excessive absences, please start by reaching out to your faculty member(s) to formulate a plan. If you’re not sure how to initiate this conversation, below are our recommendations:

1. Email your professor(s) as early as possible - include your name and the name of the class you’re taking with them.
2. Describe, generally, what you will be missing and why. You do not need to go into detail, or share health or disability information. Please note that faculty may not request documentation supporting a health concern, and you are under no obligation to provide this information to them directly.
3. Propose a plan for making up the work that feels realistic, based on your current situation. For example: “I should still be able to turn my paper in by Wednesday, but I’m not sure I will be able to finish the reading response that’s due on Monday. Could I turn it in on Tuesday instead?”
4. If you are concerned about your progress or standing in the class, include a question about this in your email.
5. If any part of of your conversation with your professor makes you feel concerned about your ability to successfully complete the class, or if you would like to explore your options in terms of continued enrollment or withdrawal from the class, reach out to your advisor in the College Advising Center.

We recognize that this may be a major change for many students, so please let us know if you need any additional support by emailing access@lclark.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have approved flexibility accommodations (i.e., flexibility with attendance, flexibility with deadlines) and need further assistance with disability-related absences or extensions, please email access@lclark.edu.

 

In the case of an illness or personal emergency that may result in excessive absences, please start by reaching out to your faculty member(s) to formulate a plan. If you are not satisfied with the result of that conversation, you should then contact your department chair and/or Associate Dean Janet Bixby (bixby@lclark.edu).

Students who miss more than three days of class, due to illness or personal emergency, can contact Associate Dean Libby Davis (eadavis@lclark.edu) to request assistance.