SCA screenwriting must revise its new absence policy


At the beginning of this semester, a School of Cinematic Arts screenwriting class made a change to its attendance policy. The syllabus notes that “instructors will no longer distinguish between an excused or unexcused absence. An absence will be an absence.” After missing more than two classes, each student’s grade will be lowered by 10% for every further absence. 

While this may seem like an innocuous change to encourage students to attend more of their classes, it ignores many serious physical and mental health issues that could result in more absences. Considering the student deaths on campus last semester and the numerous calls by students for more mental health services, this policy must be changed in order to account for any extenuating circumstances that may arise for SCA screenwriting students.

The wording and execution of this policy change appear to undercut its good intentions to encourage attendance. Many screenwriting classes meet only once a week, making attendance significantly more important than it would be in a class that meets two or three times a week. A student who failed to attend a class would miss out on a significant portion of their instruction time for the semester. However, by failing to account for any extenuating circumstances, the policy appears antagonistic toward those who may be struggling with health issues and are thus unable to attend class. 

This policy also continues to stigmatize students in our community who are struggling with their mental health. USC Annenberg Media reported that “in the Fall 2019 semester alone, school records show there were 49 USC students who were held in a hospital for their own protection after authorities were alerted they might be a danger to themselves or to others.” 

This is shocking, considering how there were only 52 such hospitalizations in all of 2018. For students with mental health issues, this presents just one more thing about which they have to be concerned. Missing five classes would drop a student with a 100% grade to a 70%, a grade that would require them to retake the class in order to receive major or minor credit. SCA should prioritize student mental health, especially considering the campus-wide cries for increased mental health awareness and care.

Students’ physical health could also be jeopardized by the continued enforcement of this policy. Students who have a contagious illness or simply are not well enough to sit in a lecture hall or workshop for multiple hours may attend class to not lose one of these precious absences. They may not be well enough to properly contribute to the class, or they may infect other students. Even though students may have only missed one class due to an illness, the looming threat of dropping a whole letter grade may force them to attend class, further prolonging their illness.

Besides any health issues that may arise for students, this policy leaves little room for students who know they are going to miss class due to religious holidays or family commitments. In either case, students may essentially forfeit one of their absences right out of the gate, leaving them with even less leeway when it comes to health issues, family emergencies or any other circumstances that may arise. In these cases, one prolonged illness or one mental health episode could result in a student dropping a whole letter grade. As opposed to punishing students for any of these extenuating circumstances, SCA as a whole should be working with students, not against them.

Overall, the policy is worded so as to punish students for missing class for any reason, regardless of its credibility. By no longer distinguishing between excused and unexcused absences, students are less likely to report absences to instructors, as getting in touch with professors would do nothing to change their grade. This cuts another possibility of intervention, as an email to an instructor explaining an absence could be another avenue through which a student could receive help with health problems. 

While students with chronic health conditions could get accommodations through USC Disability Services & Programs, this new policy just adds another step that students who are struggling with their health may be unwilling or unable to undertake. Even if this is the case, the screenwriting division has not made it clear in the text of its policy how students may go about getting other absences forgiven. This policy must be more clearly articulated and revised to accommodate student health, religious beliefs and any other occurrences in students’ lives.