As we enter the third week of our classes, we all have a pretty good idea how the entirety of the semester will go. Syllabus week allows us to get a feel for the professor, the course load and their different preferences and policies. The biggest of these being the attendance policy. In every single one of my classes, my professors were clear that you have three absences, and every absence after that causes your final grade to drop a full letter. I completely understand the importance of being in class, but I do not understand the harsh reprimand that comes with missing more than those three, short classes.

There are numerous different reasons for missing class, and while it is absolutely comprehensible as to why students should not skip class just because they don’t “feel” like going, there are is an abundance of other plausible reasons that should not require us to attend class on any given day. While I could write a litany of every possible reason one could not attend, the biggest is illness. The beginning of a new school year means another forced adjustment to intense course loads and an enormous change in sleeping habits. A combination of the two leads to a weakened immune system, which in turn leads to unwanted sickness.

Writing this, I am only halfway through my second week of classes, yet I am already feeling the effects of waking up earlier, for my 8 a.m. classes that I attend Monday through Friday. Waking up so early is already taking a toll on me, especially while not being able to go to sleep earlier to balance it out. Between actually going to class, homework, my job and projects I am struggling to find time to take care of myself in that mix. School must come first, even if that means sacrificing my health. This in turn led to me getting sick so early into the semester.

We are taught that physically attending class must take priority no matter what, even if that means potentially infecting those around us. I woke up just days ago with a 101.5 degree fever, which progressively got worse throughout the day. My throat was swollen, and I could barely keep my eyes open. All I wanted to do was go home and lay in bed, and let myself rest and recuperate, but I couldn’t do that. I could not throw away one of my allotted absences so early in the semester, because “what if something happens later on? What if there’s an emergency and I absolutely cannot go to class and NEED my allowed absences?” I cannot let my grades suffer, because doing well in these classes directly correlates to my future. So instead of letting myself heal, I went to class and suffered through, because my physical presence is more important than my health.

I work in a restaurant, and if I have a fever I am not allowed to come to work, reasonably so. Who wants someone waiting on them if they have a fever? No one wants to be in the same vicinity of someone who is ill, for fear of catching it themselves. Why is school any different? If I had missed class each day my fever progressed throughout the week, I would have missed two days of all of my classes, which is essentially a full week of classes considering three of my classes only meet two days a week. That would leave me with ONE day for the rest of the semester. One more day I'm allowed to be sick without repercussions.

No one should have to go to class with a fever. No one should have to go to class with strep, or the flu; no one should have to go to class when they need to take care of themselves either physically or mentally first. We should not be scared to take a day to heal, or be afraid of damaging our GPA. Sure, I could have missed class, and prayed I didn't get sick again. But that's a risk I am not willing to take. I'm not willing to potentially hurt my grade in the end of the semester just because I was sick. I firmly believe we need to attend class. We don't pay enormous amounts of money just to skip class and say we attend a school. But in the case of illness, whether it be physical or mental, something needs to give. Our health needs to come first.