Skipping class costs more than a grade

Photo by:  Henoc Kivuye

 

A recent article in “The Oklahoman” gave evidence that  one absence from a three-hour class at Oklahoma Christian could equate to a monetary loss of 33 cups of Starbucks coffee.

The three excused absences that are built into most classes result in a loss of value equal to 34 Chick-fil-A sandwiches.

Many students are surprised when confronted with these numbers as few consider the monetary element tied to skipping class.

“I’ve never thought about it,” senior Holly Hodge said. “Probably because I don’t pay for it personally.”

Senior Amanda Mawson mourned the loss of eight dirty chai tea lattes from one skip of her Earth science class.

“Wow, that’s   crazy,” Mawson said. “I  had no idea.”

Junior Shannon Lee agreed, frustrated that skipping class equalsto such a loss of value.

“It bothers me that skipping class is so costly, because it is already expensive enough as it is,” Lee said. “That’s a huge waste of money.”

Some students who consistently go to class – such as junior Molly Durrill – emphasized that the importance of attendance goes beyond just a monetary amount.

“If you’re not in class you don’t learn the material very well and that’s stupid,” Durrill said. “You’re also paying for the class, so why would you not go?”

Ben Langford, professor and director of the Center for Global Missions, had his own attendance philosophy as a student.

“I am, and was, a student that attended every class meeting if possible,” Langford said. “My theory was the more I attended class and paid attention, the less I would have to study later. In general, that worked very well for me. Even when I did have to study outside of class, I had a good sense of what to study and how to study because of what I learned in class.”

Senior Jess Tucker realized that skipping class hurts more than it helps.

“When I skip class, I feel very behind and when I feel very behind, I get very stressed and when I get stressed, I drink lots of Dr. Pepper and when I drink lots of Dr. Pepper, it’s bad for my health, because I’m furthering my dependency on caffeine,” Tucker said. “So don’t skip class and you won’t get addicted to anything.”

Mawson agreed that the negative impacts of skipping class outweigh the short-term benefit.

“I feel like it’s a waste of time and money to skip class all the time,” Mawson said.

Langford recognized that it is up to students to be responsible with the choices about attendance.

“If they want to skip, that is their perogative,” Langford said. “But they must weigh the cost on their grade.”

When classes have attendance policies that are directly tied to grades, students tend to be more motivated to go to class.

“I have found that attendance policies have been very effective,” Langford said. “In general, I find that an attendance policy encourages students to attend class and they usually participate and engage in the class once they are there. For the classes I teach, it has made for a better learning environment when students are present and participating.”

Attendance policies with little tolerance tend to motivate students.

“If I know I’m going to drop a letter grade if I miss too many, I’m more likely to go,” Mawson said. “But if it’s a class that already matters and I care about, it’s less likely to affect my decision making, unlike a gen-ed.”

Hodge agreed,  noting that students who care generally show up to class, regardless of the attendance policy.

“In my experience, for classes that didn’t have an attendance policy the students just didn’t show up,” Hodge said. “But I think that does separate a lot of the students who don’t care from the students who do care.”

Students who skip cite multiple reasons.

“I generally go to class all of the time,” Hodge said. “I feel like the main reason I skip class is when I have to do something for a different class that I think is more important. I have school all during the day and I have work all during the day, so sometimes I just have to take care of things.”

Junior Jonathan Scheppegrell admitted that often his skips are due to laziness.

“Most of the time I skip because the class is too early and I have no motivation to go,” Scheppegrell said. “Or it’s because the class is irrelevant to my major and doesn’t interest me at all.”

Lee makes sure she is only skipping class when absolutely necessary.

“I don’t skip class unless I’m having issues with my health,” Lee said. “Before this semester, I never skipped class.”

Hodge recognized that having good class attendance requires good time management, which helps avoid skipping for other assignments or for sleep.

“I think time management is the most important thing, because that’s the main reason I miss classes,” Hodge said. “If I spent my free time on my work when I needed to do it, then I wouldn’t have to miss class to do my work.”

Whether it’s framed in sandwiches or coffee, many students at Oklahoma Christian realize the necessity of attendance, particularly when it means not losing 34 hypothetical sandwiches.