Boulder Faculty Assembly Executive Committee Motion Regarding Class Conflicts BFA-X--M-033009 MOVED that the BFA affirm the following campus policies and practices regarding conflicts between classes and intercollegiate varsity athletic events: • It is the student’s responsibility to notify each instructor—in the first week of the semester and in writing--about any known conflicts between academic requirements and intercollegiate varsity athletic events. • For conflicts that arise during the regular term, instructors have full authority to decide whether and/or how to accommodate those conflicts. • While an instructor has the right to refuse to allow make-ups or other accommodations, he or she is permitted to provide such accommodations. • Intercollegiate varsity athletics events during final exams, which are normally forbidden by university policy, must be approved in writing by the BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee well in advance of the event. Students involved in these events must then work with their instructors in regard to any missed work, as required above. Further MOVED that: • The BFA consider a general statement of policy in the case of accommodation of conflicts that arise when students are representing CU-Boulder. • The attached report be reviewed on an annual basis by the IAC, and be sent out to all teaching faculty at CUB by the BFA before classes start every year. From BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee: March 30, 2009 Approved as amended by the BFA Executive Committee: March 30, 2009 Notice of motion to the BFA: April 2, 2009 Approved as amended by the BFA: April 30, 2009 ___________________________ Report: This motion summarizes campus policies and practices regarding conflicts between classes and athletic events. This information is intended to help guide decisions about how to deal with conflicts when they arise, and it may be especially useful for new or junior faculty. Because this document was prepared by the BFA Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, with the cooperation of the Department of Athletics, it focuses on conflicts between classes and NCAA-sanctioned intercollegiate varsity sports scheduled through the Department of Athletics. It does not address conflicts involving club sports, which are organized through the Student Recreation Center (www.colorado.edu/rec-center/programs/clubsports). Students participating in NCAA-sanctioned intercollegiate competitions are representing CU-Boulder. As such, they are bound by the CU honor code and the student-athlete code of ethics, as well as by the general policies of CU-Boulder (www.colorado.edu/policies/appealsguide.html) and the specific policies of the Department of Athletics. Normally, schedules for these competitions are known well in advance. It is the student-athlete's responsibility to notify instructors at the beginning of the semester about any known conflicts between classes or tests and athletic events. To facilitate this, the Office of Academic Support Services in the Department of Athletics identifies potential conflicts and provides written notifications about them to each student-athlete, for hand delivery to their instructors. When these conflicts interfere with the learning goals of the course (as, for example, when athletic team practice conflicts with a required weekly lab), that student generally should not enroll in that particular course during the term in question. Conflicts can sometimes arise with little advance notice, however -- e.g., when a student-athlete makes the travel roster and/or qualifies for a game or tournament at the last minute. In that event, the student-athlete may be unable to provide much advance notice of an upcoming absence. The BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee strongly encourages instructors to try to resolve the resulting conflicts in ways that neither unduly penalize the student-athlete nor provide him or her with an unfair advantage. For conflicts that arise during the regular term, instructors have full authority to decide whether and/or how to accommodate those conflicts. While an instructor has the right to refuse to allow make-ups or other accommodations, he or she is permitted to provide such accommodations. Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to, allowing assignments to be turned in late, scheduling early or make-up tests, or excusing the absence in classes where attendance is taken. The Office of Academic Support Services in the Department of Athletics can help in several ways when conflicts arise. For instance, should the absence occur on the day of a scheduled quiz or exam, members of the Office of Academic Support Services staff or the faculty athletics representative can assist in proctoring the quiz or exam at a convenient time for the faculty member and student-athlete. During final exams, when university policy generally forbids participation in athletic competitions, any exceptions must be approved by the BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee as well as by the instructor involved. Recent examples include several track athletes and a soccer player who were invited to Olympic qualifying events during spring semester exams. In those cases, with the concurrence of the instructors and in consultation with the Office of Academic Support Services in Athletics, our committee has authorized exceptions. To avoid any real or perceived pressure, CU policy forbids coaches from initiating contact with instructors regarding schedule conflicts, grades, or academic progress. Faculty may be contacted, however, by the staff of the Office of Academic Support Services to provide notification about a student-athlete's injury, surgery, or illness; to assist in rescheduling exams, tests, or quizzes; or simply to check on the progress of a student-athlete in a particular course. Any instructor who feels that inappropriate contact has been made should contact the Faculty Athletics Representative, the Athletic Director, the Director of Academic Support Services (tinyurl.com/b6sywe), or any member of the BFA Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics (tinyurl.com/anpck2). There is no rule forbidding instructors from contacting athletics staff. In fact, the Office of Academic Support Services welcomes communication with instructors regarding their concerns about class conflicts, as well as about matters involving attendance, academic performance, or classroom behavior.