Exams
Exams bring a host of problems for you to confront, with attendance and cheating as perhaps the two most common headaches. If you need a larger room for your exams, provide our secretary with the dates of the exams and the number of students, and she can arrange for a larger room. It is a good idea to do this as soon as possible. You can also take advantage of your peers as they can help you proctor exams - give requests to Betty Ann for the number of people you will need to help you. Those of you who teach in the evenings or night will come across students who will have block exams. These are exams they must take at specific times, not scheduled in advance. They are excusable absences and take precedence over your class, so there is nothing you or the student can do about it except curse them and accommodate them. Students can usually tell you a week or so before hand. Medical excuses will, of course, arise. If students are ill and go to student health, thereby missing your class, a note will arrive in your mail to this effect from the Dean's office (or some such official source). You have every right to question the validity of a private medical excuse - ask for a letter on official letterhead and don't be afraid to call to verify its legitimacy. Unverified excuses of any sort are your decision. Let the students know at the beginning of the semester that verifiable excuses will be required for medical absences, and you will find this may cut down on the number of "illnesses". Sports excuses may also arise. Any official Rutgers event will be accompanied by an official notice from the Athletic Department via campus mail. These include sanctioned sporting events, not practices. Club sports (e.g. crew, skiing) are not considered sanctioned sports. Anything unofficial (club sports, practices) is your choice.
