Students balancing clubs, assignments, and jobs may sometimes wake up for their 9:30 a.m. class feeling burned out and wishing for a day off to clear their minds. While some professors may allow students to have a pass to not go to class for one to three days to focus on their mental health, this is not a universal policy that professors must follow. 

Rowan professors typically can create their own attendance policies and they can choose how many absences they allow for their students and how this will factor into the students grade. My professors throughout my time at Rowan have all had different grading scales for how attendance impacts students’ grades.  

Last semester, when I received my final grades, I noticed that my grades went down in certain classes due to my attendance. However, my grade did not go down with the same attendance in other classes. Since professors can choose the way attendance in their classes is weighted to affect students’ grades, I’ve found that the final grades I receive with my attendance sometimes do not reflect the amount of work I put into the class. 

Some professors do not allow students to take even one unexcused absence without this absence affecting their grade. I understand that student’s class attendance is crucial for their success in their future career field, but I believe that all professors should include in their attendance policy that they will allow students to take at least one day off if needed for mental health.

Our university should implement mental health days in their attendance policy for all students to have a day they can take off from their classes and focus on their mental well-being. It would benefit students to know that if they ever feel overwhelmed with assignments or their personal life that they can miss their classes for one day to prioritize their mental health. 

When I find myself struggling in the middle of the semester to balance my school work with self-care, I find this is when I need a mental health day the most. If I had the option to take a day off during the semester from my classes to focus on my welfare, I am confident that I would excel further in my assignments by valuing my wellness and mental health. 

One day is enough to make a change in a person’s life. It is important as students that we prioritize our health and make sure we do not push ourselves to the point where we experience the feeling of being burned out. 

I believe we as students need to come together to advocate for Rowan to consider offering mental health days to students in need of decompressing when overwhelmed with their studies and personal lives.

By coming together as a community in support of mental health days, we can make changes in our university’s attendance policies and make sure all professors allow students to take an excused absence if needed for mental health.

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