College-sponsored Events Policy
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) acknowledges and embraces the fact that students have diverse lives, opinions, and activities that extend beyond College activities. Likewise, an important risk management tool for any college is to address risk and liability. To this end, students must understand that SMWC has no liability when students attend and engage in events not expressly sponsored by SMWC. Sponsorship is defined by an activity that is led by an SMWC faculty, staff or administrative official in her or his official SMWC capacity and is approved by the SMWC President and Cabinet.
Students may be excused from class, not from class work, in order to participate in college-sponsored events. Students are required to contact faculty before the absence to determine the class assignments. Notification requirements are the responsibility of both the coordinating faculty/staff and the student and should be received at least one week in advance of the event. Written notification shall include date, time, names of students involved and function to be attended. Faculty should indicate knowledge of the event by a signature. Note that students are not automatically excused from classes for practices and rehearsals, but only for events, games, dress rehearsals, and performances.
College-sponsored events are defined as those fitting into one of the following categories:
- Class related (e.g., field trip)
- Professional preparation (e.g., conference)
- Official representation of the College (e.g., Chorale, Madrigals, athletic competition)