What are academic disruptions?
Emergent and often unexpected disruptions to learning can be difficult for students to process while maintaining their academic focus. Students who do not qualify for mandated accommodations for these disruptions and who need short-term academic flexibility can request assistance from their course instructors or Student Support and Advocacy Services (SSAS). These temporary disruptions may include family emergency, death in the family, personal crisis, and concern for unsettling world events.
What are academic considerations?
Academic considerations is a process where Student Support and Advocacy Services (SSAS) assists students experiencing short-term, extenuating circumstances that may impact their academic work. As part of this process, SSAS notifies the Director of Student Services. A general communication is sent to the student’s instructors on the student’s behalf. The communication informs the instructors that the student is experiencing an extenuating circumstance and requests them to consider offering flexibility, as appropriate. This notification is intended to open the door for students to connect directly with their instructors to discuss and identify possible academic adjustments.
What are Student Disability Services (SDS) accommodations?
Student Disability Services (SDS) Accommodations are sent out by Student Disability Services and are long-term solutions to an on-going or chronic condition/challenge. SDS accommodations are sent out for each semester and assistance is required/mandated by law. Accommodations are arrangements agreed upon by SDS and the student to meet the student’s needs.
Please note: Occasionally, students may initially have an academic considerations request with faculty but after three weeks of a continued health matter, students may require additional support. This disruption has now evolved into a long-term challenge that can be evaluated through Student Disability Services for possible accommodations.
What if I got injured? Are there temporary disability accommodations?
Yes, a temporary disability is a short-term condition that significantly impacts your ability to engage in academics (or other parts of your program here at Cornell). It could be something like a broken bone, a concussion, or a significant surgery recovery. Connect with SDS as soon as possible if your ability to engage in academics may be impacted by a temporary disability. SDS can discuss appropriate short-term arrangements (accommodations) with you. Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration how your condition impacts your academics, as well as your expected timeline for recovery.
What is the difference between academic considerations vs. accommodations through SDS?
Academic considerations
Academic considerations are sent out on behalf of the Nolan School and are meant to serve as a short-term solution to an immediate academic disruption. Considerations do not continue once they are sent to instructors and will not be sent out again for the same disruption. Academic considerations are not a guarantee for instructor flexibility after an academic disruption, but rather a request to consider flexibility given the current circumstances.
Circumstances that qualify
The following list outlines circumstances that may qualify a student for academic considerations, as they represent unexpected and emergent life events:
- personal crisis, health emergency, traumatic events, short-term physical or mental illness
- family emergency, death of a loved one
- distressing world events
While these circumstances may warrant consideration, students are required to meet or talk with a member of the SSAS staff to determine whether academic considerations are the next appropriate course of action. The occurrence of one of these events does not automatically result in a request for academic considerations being granted.
Circumstances that do not qualify
There may be times when academic considerations are not an appropriate support mechanism. The list below are circumstances that do not qualify a student for academic considerations since they are expected life events:
- longer-term, chronic, physical or mental illness
- planned absences for vacation or travel
- absence due to an internship
- coordinated absences for health-related situations
- academic and extracurricular events that demand your attendance during a scheduled class, such as attendance at a conference
- academic disruptions that occurred in a previous semester or are not occurring at the time of the current request to send considerations (The Office of Student Services does not send considerations retroactively.)
- religious belief accommodations (please see below)
In these situations, students must work directly with their individual instructors for support and flexibility. This flexibility is not guaranteed; however, instructors can offer academic consideration and flexibility without a formal email request from The Office of Student Services, if appropriate.
Academic considerations process
Students are encouraged to directly contact their instructors with their personal matter and to discuss options for their academic disruption. Support from the Nolan School Office of Student Services (OSS) is not necessary, nor is the request for academic considerations. Students are strongly encouraged to advocate for themselves in situations where they have capacity to do so. SDS has templated language students can use if there is a minor disruption, such as illness or injury. It is perfectly fine for you and your instructors to work through your situation directly, and
there may be times when students still need assistance. Please review the scenarios.
Scenario one: Student does not need academic considerations.
Student encounters a sudden – and temporary – life event causing an academic disruption.
- Student reaches out to their instructors to further discuss their situation.
- Instructors work with the student to provide flexible, short-term arrangements.
Scenario two: Student would benefit from academic considerations.
Student experiences a sudden – and temporary – life event causing significant academic disruption.
- Student is unexpectedly hospitalized, experiences a family emergency, or encounters another serious short-term circumstance that impacts multiple courses.
- Student may be unable to communicate with instructors immediately or may need assistance notifying several instructors at once.
- The student contacts the OSS to request academic considerations outreach.
Scenario three: Student has a short-term illness
Student is sick and needs to miss class or an exam.
- Many instructors build a limited number of absences into their courses before a penalty is applied.
- Students should use these absences thoughtfully and review course attendance policies.
- If an illness will cause a missed exam, quiz, presentation, or other significant course requirement, students should make every reasonable effort to contact the instructor and/or TA before the class meeting.
- We encourage students to prioritize their health and seek medical care when needed. Students who require medical attention should consider scheduling an appointment with Cornell Health.
Student FAQs
Am I guaranteed flexible arrangements from my instructors when I have an academic disruption?
No. OSS offers academic considerations requests which are just that: a request. That said, many instructors are willing to offer flexibility when students are facing academic disruptions, and it is worth asking. Please note: any flexibility granted is entirely at the discretion of the course instructor who must also consider equity for other students in the course. For appropriate situations, SDS offers academic accommodations which are guaranteed.
Is it better to have the Nolan School send a request for academic considerations on my behalf?
Not necessarily. While it is helpful for OSS to send the request for academic considerations, it is not necessary. If you can make arrangements with your instructors directly, you may not need additional help from OSS. We understand there will be times that students will not be able to reach out directly to instructors due to:
- the impact of the academic disruption
- comfort doing so
- the timing of the disruption
- something else
In these situations, the Office of Student Services is more than willing to assist.
Should I connect directly with my instructors?
Yes. Whether on your own or following up on a request for academic considerations, it is the student’s responsibility to connect with their instructors for specific flexibility requests and establish appropriate expectations and timelines.
What are some best practices for communicating with my instructors?
When reaching out to your course instructors via email, consider providing the following information and asking the following follow-up questions:
- Introduce yourself
- Reference the academic considerations request that Nolan OSS sent on your behalf or disclose what you are comfortable sharing about your academic disruption
- Dates of missed class(es), quiz(zes), exam(s), assignment(s)
- If away from campus, your estimated return date
- Your availability to meet with your instructor to follow up
- What is the likelihood of catching up in their course? What is the reality of getting back on track and salvaging the course for this semester?
- If there is flexibility, what specific arrangements can be made (excused absences and how many, make up quizzes and/or exams, making up labs, extensions on assignments and projects and new, clear deadlines for those extensions, dropping lowest exam, additional work to offset work that has been missed, etc.)? If you have been thinking about possible arrangements, please bring your ideas forward to your professors to see if they are appropriate.
- If there is no flexibility (and sometimes there isn’t to maintain the integrity of their course), would they recommend to drop the course at this point?
- Is there the ability to take an Incomplete at the end of the term should you continue with the course, if need be (including grades are only given by professors when they believe a student has enough equity build in a course)?
Should my academic considerations be sent to all my instructors or just one or two where I need the most flexibility?
We suggest informing all instructors. Academic disruptions often have far-reaching impact. In the event other classes are impacted, instructors will already be aware of the situation and you may find additional flexibility.
What types of flexibility can I ask my instructor for?
It depends. The student needs to determine what would be most helpful for the course and ask the instructor. This could include things like: extensions, deferred or make-up prelim, alternative assignments, waiving (and re-weighting) an assignment or quiz, asking for an Incomplete in the course. Remember: any flexibility is at the discretion of the course instructor who must also consider equity for other students in the class. The goal is to work collaboratively with the instructor to develop a plan for flexibility in the course.
Can I continue to ask for flexibility throughout the semester long after the academic considerations request was sent?
It depends. A request for academic considerations is meant to alert instructors about emergent, short-term disruptions. It is the student’s responsibility to follow-up on the request to ask for specific flexibility and disclose other relevant information (for example: expected return to campus if there will be time away). If a student is encountering a chronic health situation or the disruption persists beyond two weeks, we suggest reaching out to other offices such as SDS, Cornell Health, CAPS, etc. for additional support and services.
What if an instructor is unable to provide any flexibility in my course and I fall behind?
While we hope this isn’t the case, it is a scenario you should prepare for. If flexibility cannot be granted, please reach out to an advisor to consider other available options (dropping/withdrawing from a course, taking a leave of absence, etc.)
Are there religious belief accommodations?
Cornell is committed to supporting students who wish to practice their religious beliefs in keeping with its institutional values and compliance with New York State law. The nature and scope of accommodations will vary based on a variety of factors. Students who wish to practice their religious beliefs and need flexibility to do so should contact the Office of Spirituality and Meaning-Making in Student and Campus Life to learn about available options.
Instructor FAQs
Is a student required to have an official academic considerations request from the Nolan School?
No. Students are encouraged to reach out to instructors on their own accord. The director of OSS can assist through the academic considerations process.
What flexibility can I grant to students encountering short-term academic disruptions?
Per the Cornell University Faculty Handbook: “If a student contacts you about rescheduling an exam, missing a class, or needing some straightforward support (e.g., permission to type their exam instead of handwriting), you are empowered to make the appropriate arrangements and provide flexibility in these sudden, unpredictable situations.”
Use your discretion as to what flexibility can be granted to students facing academic disruption while maintaining equity in your course.
Do I need or can I require health provider documentation?
No. Instructors are not permitted to ask for health documentation from students.
Who do I contact about a request I have received?
The Office of Student Services director.
What should I do if a parent or guardian contacts me regarding their student’s situation?
If you know a student has a FERPA release for the contact person, you may discuss the situation; if you do not know if there is a FERPA release, keep the conversation general (for example: what would be true of all students in your class facing academic disruptions). You may also refer the parent or guardian to OSS.
What if the student does not follow-up on a considerations request or meet the flexible deadlines granted?
Depending on the disruptive event and its impact on a student follow-up communication may vary; however, it is the responsibility of the student to connect with their instructor(s). If a student fails to do so or does not meet agreed upon flexibilities (for example: extended deadlines) please use your discretion regarding how to proceed while knowing there is no obligation to continue to extend flexibility.