Mandatory attendance policies have come as an unpleasantsurprise to many students at Sacramento State.

Senior Carey Carson, a 25-year-old business major, said thesepolicies came as a major shock.

“I did not think I’d be forced to go to class atall,” she said.

Senior communication studies major Laura Henningsen said thatstudents are responsible adults who can determine themselves how tobest utilize their academic careers.

“I think we’re at a level where we should be our ownboss,” Henningsen said. “I thought we left that back inhigh school.”

Although there is currently no universal mandatory attendancepolicy at Sac State, the university recommends that students attendall classes, said Sac State spokeswoman Ann Reed. Due to the lackof a mandatory attendance policy, the importance and role ofattendance falls directly into the hands of the individualprofessors. This has led to a great variance in policies.

English professor Jon Price has a policy for his bi-weeklyliterature classes that states a student’s grade may drop”radically” with three or more absences.

He said that he requires attendance because the lectures provideinformation that is not necessarily in the book.

“This (education) is a serious business,” he said.”If you miss a certain amount, you have missed too much.It’s in the students’ best interests that we have thatpolicy.”

Some students said they believe that the choice to attendclasses should be their own because they are making a financialinvestment in higher education.

“Since we’re paying for our education, it should beour choice whether we attend and pass,” Carson said.

Some faculty members said they agree with this philosophy.

Music professor Jeffrey Edom does not require his students toattend class.

“If you want to fork out $1,400 and not go to class, whatbusiness is it of mine?” he said.

Edom said he thinks that because attendance is integral to doingwell, a strict attendance policy is not needed.

“There is a natural penalty,” Edom said. “Ifyou don’t go to class, you are not going to do well. If(professors) make them go, then it’s nothing more thanglorified babysitting.”

Some professors said they feel if they didn’t implementsuch policies, no one would show up for classes.

Communications professor Nick Burnett, vice department chair,said he acknowledges these fears.

“It’s hard for professors to realize they’renot the center of the universe,” Burnett said. “Theyare not doing it to make students’ lives miserable, but theyare passionate about their subjects.”

Carson said there is often little solace for students who arelegitimately sick or have had extenuating circumstances thatprevent them from attending.

“I haven’t found leniency as far as making upanything in college,” Carson said.

Henningsen, a disc jockey at the student-run radio station KSSU,said she is required by the station to attend a show that airs atthe same time as one of her classes.

Henningsen said she values her experience at KSSU more than athree-hour lecture about media history. She said she will missclass for the radio show, even though it means losing 15 points ina 200-point course.

“There comes a point where you have to choose betweenoutside activities and your class,” Henningsen said. “Idon’t think it’s fair, but I don’t have any otheroption.”

Freshman English major Janine LaCrosse said she has heardcomplaints about the attendance policies at Sac State.

“I think it’s lame when you don’t go and get aC instead of an A, when you truly have an A,” LaCrossesaid.

Micro/molecular biology senior Erik Pelzman said he has hadgrades affected by missing classes.

“I was late to a class once and didn’t getattendance for that day,” Pelzman said. “It was becausethe guy relieving me at work was late.”

Even though it was the only class he missed, he still lost 15points and his grade dropped from an A- to a B+, Pelzman said.

Pelzman said he thinks it is the professor’sresponsibility to give valuable lectures. This would make theattendance policies irrelevant.

“If a student can not go to class and still do well, thensomething is wrong,” Pelzman said.