Absence Excuses
The UMW Student Health Center (SHC) does not issue excuses for class absences or missed assignments due to illness. This is a common policy among most Universities and follows the recommendations of the American College Health Association. If you are unable to attend class or complete assignments due to an illness, it is your responsibility to contact your professor … in person, by phone or by email … to explain your situation. Most instances can and should be resolved with honesty and trust between you and your professor.
If your professor requests documentation that you were seen in the SHC, you may ask our staff for a Verification of Student Health Center Visit form, BUT it is the sole decision of your professor, not the SHC or the University, to excuse absences and grant opportunities to make up assignments.
We cannot provide this documentation if we did not see you. For example, if you had a migraine headache two days ago and missed a test, do not come in today for documentation of your illness.
Because of state and federal privacy laws we cannot state on this form the reason you came to the SHC. Most minor to moderate illnesses require only brief absences and one’s ability to attend class varies from one individual to the next with the same illness. Therefore we also will not state that you could or could not attend class.
In the rare instance that your professor insists on talking to us about your illness:
- Let us know at your visit
- Notify your professor to call us
We cannot talk to your professor without written authorization from you.
Should you have a major illness (for example severe mononucleosis) or injury or a dangerous contagious disease, one of our medical Providers may recommend that you not attend classes for 3 or more days. In such cases, you should contact Academic Services and your professors.