Travel authorization forms are available on-line for instructors who plan to be absent from class because of attendance at professional meetings or because of some other professional activity. These forms provide not only the data for compensation for travel but also serve the purpose of notifying the various offices of such absence from class.

If absence from class is necessary as a result of sudden emergencies such as illness or other unforeseen circumstances, the chairperson and/or dean of the department should be notified in every case and effort should be made to make some arrangement for the class meeting. Classes are dismissed only when no such arrangement can be appropriately made.

Faculty teaching on-line courses must fill out travel authorization forms even though they are not missing a physical class, and for the same purpose: the notification of various offices of absence from teaching duties. On-line faculty should also inform the chairperson and/or dean of the department and students of absences from their presence on class discussion boards and any other activities considered to be continuous as defined by the structure of the class, whether due to professional activity, illness, or unforeseen circumstances. As with face-to-face classes, timely contact with students in discussions and with responses to assignments is part of a faculty member’s duties.