University of Virginia Library

Dean Surprised
By Opposition
To Rule On Cuts

By Jim Doilney
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Questioned about a Student
Council motion to end required
class attendance for all students
after their first year, Irby B.
Cauthen Jr., Dean of the College,
claimed that the present
policy has little effect on non-first-year
men and admitted some
surprise at recent opposition to
it.

He said that his office now
keeps attendance records only
for first and second-year men and
then only for required courses.

Explaining that actions from
his office are taken on the basis
of percentage of classes reported
missed and all hours carried,
Mr. Cauthen said that second year
men usually take fewer required
courses and therefore their
cut percentage will rarely reach
the level at which action is taken.

Upperclassmen Not Affected

Upperclassmen are not affected
by University attendance requirements
unless they miss over 50
per cent of their classes in a
course, in which case they fail.

In way of justifying the regulation
of first-year men, Mr. Cauthen
said that "Parents need to be
assured that someone is caring
whether students are attending."

Under the present system, the
first communication a student
guilty of excessive absences receives
is what Dean Cauthen
described as a letter of "friendly
admonition." His parents receive
a carbon copy and therein,
says Mr. Cauthen, lies the
strength of the system.

Parental Fear

Parents paying tuition bills are
inclined to react strongly and
provide the student any incentive
or fear which the letter may
lack, he explained.

The next letter to parents and
student informs the latter that
he is now on Attendance Probation
and further absence will result
in his suspension.

Mr. Cauthen emphasized during
the interview that extremely
few students have ever been
suspended under this rule and
pointed out that only three years
ago, some student organizations
requested that the administration
not alter its attendance policy.

The regulations regarding attendance
were established by a
vote of the College faculty.

Present Rules Liberal

Mr. Cauthen pointed to the
former system which called for
all undergraduates to attend
regularly or flunk their courses
and said that the present rules
would seem very liberal if compared
to the old ones.

That system was very complicated
with cuts and hours in
direct proportion to grade point.
Mr. Cauthen explained that the
system was bad because it encouraged
all to use every possible
cut or face the stigma of not
beating the system.

As a result, he said, the two
weeks of classes before exams
were very sparsely attended,
regardless of how interesting
courses may have been.

Some Problems

Mr. Cauthen said that he had
some problems with instructors
of required courses who were
opposed to taking roll and refused
to cooperate with his office.

"The success of the program
depends on every single instructor
cooperating," he said, "and we
can't make instructors report absences
when they feel they need
not do so."