Professor Pamela Bourjaily teaches her class on Wednesday, March 22. Bourjaily is teaching her students proper business writing.
Point/Counterpoint | Should students get penalized for missing class?
Opinions contributors, Luke Krchak and Katie Perkins, on mandatory class attendance.
April 4, 2023
Yes
The real world has attendance requirements. If you don’t meet those expectations, you will get penalized.
Jobs, for example, have required attendance. If you skip a day of work because you’re not up to it, you will probably face consequences. You have to be actively present to achieve your career goals, you can’t coast through your career like you may in college.
College prepares you for the real world, and class attendance only benefits your future and education. Class attendance should be mandatory to ensure students are engaged in their academics. But, even without required attendance, it is your job to show up.
Tests often reflect lectures, so being in class can help you more easily answer test questions.
Most classes use participation to discuss topics in class, which goes beyond just needing to know it for the test. Attendance also makes it easier to work with fellow students and professors to better understand the topics.
Active participation is not just for jobs and school. It can help you in life as well. Attending class, especially as a requirement, would help emphasize that people need to be active in their role in America and society. This includes participating in things like elections, community service, and volunteerism.
Most notably, we must pay for the classes we take, so we are hurting ourselves by wasting money, time, and educational opportunity. Not everyone gets to attend college, let alone the University of Iowa, so take advantage of this opportunity.
Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.
No
I can choose whether or not to get out of bed in the morning, put on my shoes, stuff my belongings into my backpack, and make my way to class.
There are days I may really want to choose not to go to class. But it is required, so I feel as though I have no choice at all. Maybe I feel a cold coming on but can’t make it to a doctor for a note, or I had to work extra late at my part-time job the night before. Sometimes I need some extra time to catch up on the overwhelming amount of homework I have been assigned in all six of my classes.
Regardless of the reason, the choice should be mine. I understand that going to class is beneficial in many ways. But burnout is real, many full-time students work jobs just to make ends meet, and you can’t always predict illnesses well enough to get a university approved absence.
The requirement to attend class can negatively affect grades and cause a great deal of stress for students that are under enough already. Many students who are not able to attend every single class are still deserving of a decent grade and work very hard to try and maintain one.
We are adults. We are choosing to further our education. Therefore, we should also be given the choice to attend class or not without it being detrimental to our grades.
Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.