Dear Student,
We hope you are enjoying your classes this semester! As you move through this semester and next, we want to ensure you know the university’s policies and expectations surrounding student short-term illness and what steps to take if you were to get sick. As your Advising Deans, we want to help you interpret and understand these policies, as well as the university’s expectations for both students and faculty.
New Policy on Medical Notes from Tufts Health and Wellness
There was a change in Fall 2021 that is important to be aware of: Tufts Health Services, Counseling and Mental Health Services, and Advising Deans will no longer provide notes to excuse ill students from midterms or final exams. Health Services and CMHS will no longer provide appointments or walk-ins for students requesting evaluation for the sole purpose of obtaining a medical excuse note. Moreover, faculty have been instructed to no longer request from students medical documentation, a doctor’s note, or an Advising Dean excuse note.
Student Expectations
In general, students should not take exams when too ill to focus and should not attend class in-person when experiencing illness. Students should not expect classes to be made available virtually should they be too sick to attend class. It is important that students maintain open communication with their professors and reach out with questions if they are uncertain of course policies and expectations.
Students are expected to:
- Abide by class/department policies regarding missed classes, exams, deadlines, or other class activity requiring their participation.
- Complete the Student Illness Notification form located in SIS if they are too ill to attend class.
- Please note: the illness form does not excuse students’ absence, missed coursework, deadlines, or exams.
- Follow published course procedures if they are too ill to take an exam or meet a deadline or if they cannot attend class for more than one week. (If there are no such published procedures in the syllabus, contact the instructor).
- Students are encouraged to also alert their Advising Dean and their Health Services clinician, though doing so is not required.
- If class procedures involve using email, then their Advising Dean and/or clinician may be copied on emails.
- Students must communicate directly with their professors regarding missed class, work, and deadlines. Advising Deans can help coach students through this communication.
Please note that Advising Deans will take an active role in communicating with faculty for students experiencing longer-term illnesses, hospitalizations, concussions, and other serious disruptions to their studies.
Faculty Expectations
Professors should anticipate the possibility of an illness preventing one or more students from taking an exam and plan accordingly to adjust assessment and grading in a way that is fair for an ill student and for the entire class. At the same time, it should not be expected that faculty will switch to virtual instruction any time a student is sick. It is up to the individual instructor on how they will manage their course and provide flexibility.
Faculty are encouraged to:
- Refer students to their course policies regarding missed exams/deadlines.
- Communicate directly with students regarding course expectations and policies for flexibility.
- Not request a doctor’s note, medical documentation, or Advising Dean note.
If you have any questions about these policies or how to navigate things this semester, do not hesitate to reach out to your Advising Dean.
Thank you,
Tanesha Leathers
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advisin
Arts & Sciences BA/BS, Last Names A-E and BA/BFA Combined Degree Program
Matthew Bellof
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising
Arts & Sciences BA/BS, Last Names F-L
Susan Koegel
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising
Arts & Sciences BA/BS, Last Names M-R
Caitlin Casey
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising
Arts & Sciences BA/BS, Last Names S-Z and all REAL students
Leah Gadd
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising
BFA, Last Names A-Z and BA/BFA Combined Degree Program
Jennifer Stephan
Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies
Engineering BS, All Last Names
