Listen up, professors. We all have respect for what you do. Teachers are some of the most dedicated, hardworking professionals in the world, and they deserve this respect and recognition. Aiming to educate and disseminate information to the younger generation is one of the most noble professions that exists. No one is denying that.
It’s also no secret that there are good and bad professors, and I don’t just mean this from a teaching perspective.
Students, you should go to class. I’m not going to preach about how students have a right to skip class whenever they want, because that’s not true. Frankly, it’s a waste of your time and the professor’s if you decide to not come to a class regularly when you’re paying thousands of dollars to be there. But, I am saying that if students need to skip class sometimes because they are sick, professors need to stop demanding that they bring a doctor’s note. Not sure if you’re all aware, but not everybody in this country has health insurance. It’s incredibly classist to assume that every time students get sick they have the means or transportation to visit a doctor.
Also, mental health days are necessary and should be treated with the same urgency as physical health problems. Sometimes, you just can’t go to class, because you’re not in a mental space to deal with it. Students don’t owe professors an explanation of why they are missing class here and there.
We’re all adults, we’re not in high school anymore. You don’t need the equivalent of a parent’s note because a grown person decided not to come to class once or twice.
People take days off from work. Sometimes, students need to be able to take a day off without the worry of a professor questioning if they were really sick.
The Voice is intended to best represent the collective opinion of The Editorial Board. It is written by The Setonian’s Editor-in-Chief.
