Attendance and Commitment Policies

The Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI) expects students to attend class daily, with the exception of illness and emergencies. If you anticipate any scheduling conflict, please discuss this with your Institute’s program coordinator in advance. Vacation is not a valid excuse for a student to have an extended absence. If a student misses class, it is their responsibility to make up the work and to keep up with the other students in the class.

Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institute (WISLI) courses, of which SEASSI is a part, cover a year’s worth of material in 8 weeks. Therefore, missing one day of class is equivalent to missing one week during the academic year, and can have serious academic consequences.

Note: The tardiness and absence policy of your instructor may be stricter than the policy listed below and will supersede these policies. Please refer to the syllabus of your class for any adjustments to the policies.

Absence:

One absence per semester is permissible.
Two absences in a semester can result in a grade deduction for that semester.
Three or more absences in a semester can result in automatic failure of the course.

Things to note:

• Absences on days of exams, projects, presentations, etc. will lead to failure of that coursework. There will be no make-ups of exams, projects, presentations, etc. due to absence.
• Failure of the first/third/fifth semester course prohibits students moving to the second/fourth/sixth semester course and will result in dismissal from the program without refund.
• Contact hours for federal grants require that the WISLI programs must end on the last day of class. Requests to leave or take final exams early will not be granted.
• Pre-program requests for absences will not be granted.

Emergency circumstances for absences can be reviewed on an individual basis.

Tardiness:

• Given the intensive nature of the summer language classes, it is imperative to be ready to join class on time for both 2-hour sessions. To ensure a productive learning environment for all participants, WISLI defines tardiness as the following:
• • Tardiness: arriving more than 5 minutes late to a class session.

• • Excessive tardiness: arriving more than 10 minutes late to any session.

• • Tardiness in excess of 30 minutes will be considered an absence for the 2-hour session.

• Repeated tardiness:

• • Three instances of tardiness will result in a warning. A fourth instance of tardiness will require a meeting with an Academic Director.

• • Three instances of excessive tardiness (arriving more than 10 minutes late but less than 30) will be counted as one absence for the 2 hours.

• • Repeated tardiness in excess of 30 minutes will then be subject to the WISLI absence policy.

• • Continued tardiness or excessive tardiness may result in further penalty or dismissal.

WISLI understands that unforeseen circumstances can occur. Please communicate any tardiness or absences to the course instructor as soon as possible.