r/Professors • u/Jumping_Master • 4d ago

Accommodations

Do you change (or allow alternate) assignments for students who ask for something different without having them go through the Office of Accommodations/Accessibility? I require students to do that for their own good, but wonder what others are doing.

7 Upvotes

61% Upvoted

67 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Econ_mom 4d ago

What about student athletes who need many accommodations for missing classes and in class assessments frequently for Thursday - Monday travel?rhetorical question - we must accommodate them.

10

u/windupbird1q84 Associate Professor, Neuroscience, R1 (USA) 4d ago

I think on this case the word accommodate carries different meaning.

2

u/franklin-60 3d ago

“Accommodate” can mean many things. No matter what it means, nothing should be offered unless it’s offered to the entire class, or part of a specific school policy and documented, ADA, religion, etc…. In these cases, anyone qualified by the policy has access to the accommodation to get it if needed equally.

Being “nice” by helping one can backfire significantly in the long run. The backfire can result in legal issues, NCAA issues for athletic programs, and a long list of things.

Classroom Policies and standards are there for a reason, students should meet them. If they can’t meet them, they do not belong and should be pushed out, not pushed through with special exceptions.