Student Health Services will no longer be giving out "verification of visit to health service" forms for any type of illness, an e-mail sent to faculty said.
The new policy change comes in response to worries about the severity of swine flu on college campuses. Student Health Services now recommends that students who are ill first call the 24-hour advice nurse to prevent crowding in the infirmary. It will also allow students to assess their illness and not be exposed to other, more threatening ones. This coincides with UConn's current H1N1 policies. If students feel ill, they should stay home and isolate themselves.
The new policy specifically asks faculty to be more lenient with students who miss class because of illness. This may affect the class policies of professors who allow students to miss one or two classes with no questions asked.
"I do not penalize students who are sick," said Dr. Richard Hiskes, a political science professor. "We work around it."
Professors were asked to be understanding of the situation in the e-mail sent to the faculty.
This does not mean that students should expect to get out of assignments or exams because of illness.
"Students will still be expected to make up work that they missed in a timely manner," said Veronica Makowsky, vice provost for undergraduate education, in an e-mail.
Students should maintain contact with their professors even while they are ill to keep them updated on their condition and when they expect to make up work. It is also expected that students be respectful and honest to their professors about their absences during this time.
"It is understood that students have severe circumstances, and Student Health Services plans to provide however they can for these students," said Michael Kurland Director of Health Services, in an e-mail.
The policy will be re-evaluated during finals, when the circumstances of missing class are much more severe; it is unknown how severe the H1N1 or any other illnesses will be at that point.
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