College of Optometry (CO) 2025–2026 124 relevant instructor of record or clinic chief will notify the student as to any makeup assignments, if any, are required. Failure to complete any assigned makeup work in the time frame given may result in the student being referred to the SPC. The following are considered excused absences for required sessions: a. d eath and funeral in the immediate family (spouse, partner, parent, grandparent, in-law, sibling, child, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew) b. p ersonal illness, only when diagnosed and documented in writing by the physician who evaluated and treated the student at the time of the absence (physician must not be a family member) c. other extenuating circumstances which must be approved by the assistant dean for Student Affairs with appropriate documentation All absence documentation must be approved by the assistant dean for Student Affairs, who will keep track of such absences and inform appropriate instructors. Any absence not approved using this process will be considered unexcused. An unexcused absence from any mandatory event may result in review by the SPC. OD4 Clinical Rotations/Externships Students are required to be in attendance and always prepared for clinic, as scheduled by the posted clinic/facility hours, including all orientation sessions or other sessions scheduled by the chief or external site. The CO recognizes the authority of the chiefs of service (in the case of internal rotations) and the specific site or practice (in the case of external rotations) to determine a reasonable schedule designed to maximize clinical education. Site schedule will be issued to the student(s) within one week from the beginning of the rotation by chiefs of service or site coordinators. Absences may, at the discretion of the relevant chief of service or site coordinator, necessitate additional clinical assignments to meet the requirements of the internal or externship rotation. Holiday closures and other alterations are decided by the college and university, in the case of internal rotations, and left to the discretion of individual site coordinators in the case of externship rotations. A student may request time to observe a religious holiday that is not recognized by the college, university, or the relevant site’s schedule at least 30 days in advance of the term involving the absence. This time may be subtracted from the student’s allotted time off (described below) or may require makeup sessions at the discretion of the chiefs of service or site coordinator. Students are allotted 2 personal days off per quarter. Requests for use of this time should be submitted to each site 30 days in advance of the term involving the absence. The appropriate chief of service or site coordinator may, at their discretion, approve or deny a student’s vacation request after reviewing the request’s potential impact on the clinical site. Residency interviews, typically occurring in January– February of each year, may or may not be considered personal days off, and these requirements should be discussed with the site coordinator in advance of the anticipated absence. All concerns regarding attendance for OD4 clinical rotations should be brought to the attention of the director of externships. Failure to comply with any elements of this policy may result in review by the SPC.
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