Students with Disabilities
Disability Accommodations: Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first register with Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies (DASS). Students can call 214-768-1470 or visit http://www.smu.edu/Provost/ALEC/DASS to begin the process. Once registered, students should then schedule an appointment with the professor as early in the semester as possible, present a DASS Accommodation Letter, and make appropriate arrangements. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and require advance notice to implement.
Medically Excused Absences
Our policy on medically excused absences is as specified by the Provost. Verification of medical illness and request for an excused absence from class will be handled in one of two ways. A physician or staff member from health/counseling and testing will provide either (1) a hand-written note on a Health Center prescription form, or (2) a signed letter written on Health Center stationery. Excused medical absences shall have specific dates of time periods indicated. Encounter forms and Walk-Out Statements verify a student's visit to the Health Center BUT DO NOT INDICATE AN EXCUSED ABSENCE.
General Absences
These policies on absences are issued by the Provost of SMU.
- Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence. (See University Policy No. 1.9)
- Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities:
Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work. (See 2018-2019 University Undergraduate Catalogue)