Be on time or be left out

The Journalism and Digital Media program has adopted a new attendance policy for students in the program. Students must be on time for class or they will be marked absent for the day.

“Students are going to be upset but at the end of the day the policy is clear,” professor Romeo Reese said. “If you want to truly succeed, you’ll do what needs to be done, so that you can get to the class on time.”

Prior to fall term, the JDM program gave students five minutes after the start of class to arrive. It got rid of the grace period at the start of the school year.

Faculty members say that it’s critical, in a media program, to teach students the importance of deadlines. “We are not trying to be punitive,” professor Mike Gormley said. “We want students to have the discipline to succeed in media.”

One student was locked out of her Professional Development class. “This is my second time, and I’m only two minutes late,” she said. “That’s not fair.”

It is not known whether any other program on campus has a tardiness policy. The university permits programs wide latitude in establishing attendance and tardiness policies.

By Ikeobi Mocree