Myth: If your teacher is 15 minutes late, can you leave?

School rumors can fly faster than updates on Facebook accounts.

Ever heard the rumor that if your professor is 15 minutes late you can leave? Well, don’t believe it. This is not a school policy, and in fact many FAU departments haven’t even heard of it.

“I’ve heard about it and always thought it was true,” explains Cassie Shashaty, a freshman social science major. “My teachers have never been more than 15 minutes late, but if they were, I would definitely leave because they can’t expect us to wait around all day. ... They are late, and everyone else is on time.”

The UP called five different colleges and the only response we received was: "I've never heard of such a policy.” The Office of the Registrar, which organizes the University Catalog, and the Office of the Provost, which organizes university affairs, were the only two offices that could definitively say that the policy “never existed.”

Senior Ryan Smith thinks it’s wrong for students to leave class if a teacher is late.

"It’s an unwritten rule that people follow. I know about it and I think the people who do it are stupid,” says the communications major. “It’s irresponsible to leave after 15 minutes. If someone does that, it’s an excuse for them not to go to class.”

Follow FAU’s advice: If your professor is late to class, the students are expected to stay unless the professor informs them of a class cancellation. Students are still responsible for their absences and work missed if they leave early.
 

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4 comments

Anonymous

Thu Apr 22 2010 09:50

Yes, the students choosing to leave are responsible for anything covered for the whole class and yes, I would read ahead or go over the material for that class again. That said, it cuts both ways....Professors have an obligation to be on time for class and teach just as students have an obligation to be on time for class and learn. I would not expect anyone to wait for me to show up 15 minutes late to a meeting. If the professor were truly being professional about his obligations, then at the very least he would teach those that chose to remain AND let the rest of the class know what was covered.

Gryffindor

Thu Apr 1 2010 14:43

In regard to the comment made by the freshman, yes, I the professor can expect us to "wait around all day." Its their class and their policy. Although I myself may not stay if the professor is late for an extended amount of time, I can't expect that there will not be consequences to that action. You need to be responsible for your own actions, this is college. Blaming the professor for being late is a cop-out. Take responsibility for your own work and your own grades and don't blam others for your performance

crossfire

Tue Nov 3 2009 00:49

its not anyones business what we choose to do once we leave class. if the teacher has an emergency its understandable. but, for example, students should not be required to sit there in class if their professor overslept (which does actually happen once in a while). but since there is no way of knowing if a professor is in an emergency, we just sign a roll sheet and leave it with another faculty member. its how my college does it. my professor even told us this when he missed school due to oversleeping. he appologized if he made us wait, and said that we didnt even have to wait more then 15 minutes after the class is officially started.

Owlsley the Owlish Owl

Tue Apr 21 2009 09:36

I have heard this so many times, but the "version" that I heard was that you had to wait 15 minutes for an adjunct and indefinitely for a tenured professor.

Most likely a professor would rather let the day/class go than have 20-30 students standing in their department head's office complaining about the same absence.

Tenured professors can make a stink, well, because they are tenured.

Just an extra note, I think that the freshman was pretty ignorant to say that she "would definitely leave because they can’t expect us to wait around all day". Freshmen are so cute. Where else were you going to be honey? Starbucks? The Library? A student government meeting? Okay, the last one was obviously a joke, but you get the point.

When a professor is late for my classes, I usually just read ahead for that class. That way I have less to do later. I know that sounds kind of obvious and it should go without saying, but it is FAU that we're talking about here.

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