While some students win the daily battle with the snooze button and drag themselves out of bed in time for class, others find it more worthwhile to just sleep in. And, depending on the class, some said they are able to enjoy guilt-free truancy.
"I feel that lectures can be missed, and yet a student can still understand the material if they make the commitment to read the text and attend recitation," said Stephanie Mallick, a freshman theater major. "Recitations are the most helpful in seeing if you really understand the information."
While Mallick said she chooses not to attend big lectures in the cases where recitations are available, others cited different reasons for being elsewhere during class time.
"I didn't really go to lectures much last semester just because I felt I could get more from texts or online notes," said Joshua Manda, a freshman with an undeclared major. "Working from notes online worked better for me because I could actually see the information that I needed to know, rather than hearing it."
This year, full-time, in-state undergraduates paid $4, 350 in tuition per semester. For an undergraduate taking 15 credit hours per semester, each session of class costs about $19.33. With the average college student's budget being stretched to the limit by most any expenditure, wasting almost $20 fifteen times a week might be unacceptable, yet according to professors many choose to skip classes.
Dr. Chris Larsen, an associate professor of geography, said though the size of his lecture classes make it difficult to determine exactly who shows up consistently, he notices certain trends in attendance.
"Attendance is highest at the beginning of the semester and slowly decreases through the semester," said Larsen. "It is a bit higher in the lecture before the exam, a bit lower on the lecture after the exam. Attendance is lowest the day before Spring Break."
Larsen said students who choose to skip lectures because they believe they can acquire the information in another fashion are depriving themselves of an essential ability.
"I do not put my notes online because I think that it is a valuable skill to be able to convert oral information into meaningful written notes. Learning, even listening, is an active process and not a passive one," said Larsen.
According to UB's school policy on attendance, which can be found in the student handbook, there is no actual rule concerning absences from class. However, it is up to the professor if attendance factors into final grades.
According to Larsen, when it comes to making sure that students are present for an entire session, taking attendance might not be foolproof.
"A colleague of mine took attendance in a large lecture class. Students would sign in to get the attendance mark and then leave," said Larsen.
While some students believe regular attendance to some classes might be justifiably optional and some professors believe students who do not want to be in class will find ways around a mandatory attendance, others said it is their pleasure to attend each of their classes.
Matthew Paluch, a freshman management major, said though he notices that attendance in his classes dips significantly as the semester progresses, the material he learns in lectures is invaluable.
"You learn so much more when you go through the material in class and work things out step by step," said Paluch.
Aside from signing the attendance sheet and the academic benefits of attending class, some said they have found other reasons why attending class can be advantageous.
"Going to classes is the first step to being involved at UB," said Robert Mercurio, a freshman business administration major. "I met a friend in one of my classes who told me about UB's rugby team, and I ended up joining. Now I'm even running for Rugby Vice President."
While many believe that attending all of one's classes is important, L. Kirk McAuley, a PhD candidate in the English Department said he believes small classrooms that facilitate conversations are even more important to the learning process.
"I am convinced that the interaction which occurs in the classroom - the spontaneous, immediate and dialogical exchange of ideas - is, without a doubt, an essential component of higher education," said McAuley.
Erik D'Aquino, coordinator of Recruitment for the Office of Honors and Scholars at UB encouraged students to be proactive in fully preparing for their future, which includes going to classes.
"Going to class is extremely important. For students planning on going to graduate school, it is a good idea to start getting in the habit of attending class early on," he said. "Paying tuition means paying for each individual class. You should take advantage of the class by learning as much information as you possibly can."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
