Cornell is preparing for high rates of student and faculty absences as a result of the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Admin­istrators have warned faculty that some classroom policies may need to change to accommodate students who become ill with the flu. Attendance policies, assignment deadlines and make-up exams may need to be modified, Provost Kent Fuchs wrote in a letter to faculty.

On Wednesday, the faculty senate passed a resolution encouraging instructors to be flexible when students catch the flu so that students do not feel they need to come to class.

Instructors are encouraged “to offer make-up exams following scheduled examinations, delayed due dates for other assignments and excusal of classes missed due to illness,” the resolution said.

“I think we’ll be much more lenient with students who miss class,” said William Fry, the dean of faculty.

“There are no absolute rules; anyone can apply to the faculty,” he said.

Each professor may respond to student absences differently, since professors are not required to change their attendance or exam policies.

“Faculty should develop robust systems to communicate with ill students about their individual situations and also about the status of the course,” wrote Fuchs in his letter to faculty, dated August 25. “When appropriate, the electronic posting of assignments, class notes and course materials will help students keep pace with the course during any absence.”

While absences are expected to increase, H1N1 is not expected to become a threat serious enough to cancel or modify classes across-the-board.

“The most likely scenario is for a significantly elevated level of illness that strains our normal instructional program but does not warrant a University-wide closure,” the letter said.

However, speculation that classes may be modified to pass/fail or cancelled if the pandemic worsens have circulated campus.

“I think that rumor [that classes may be made pass/fail] was started by students who want pass/fail,” Fry said. There are no finalized plans to modify classes into pass/fail.

“In the event that the pandemic is more severe than currently anticipated, a general suspension of instruction may be necessary,” Fuchs’ letter said.

An emergency group of administrators is planning for the possibility of cancelled classes, Fry said, but nothing has been decided yet regarding how classes may change in the event of a serious flu outbreak.

“We’re still monitoring the situation,” he said.

Although all classes will not be cancelled unless the pandemic significantly worsens, Fry said there will probably be more individual class cancellations this year than in a usual year, largely due to faculty illness.

Faculty members have been told to “prepare for the fact that you or your TAs will not be able to attend class,” he said.

Professors with H1N1 flu who stay home while they are sick may turn to technology to teach their classes. CIT has developed an instruction guide on telecommuting for faculty who are absent.

At least two professors have already become sick with probable H1N1 flu, Fry said.

Students who are absent from class should communicate directly with their professors and explain the reason for their absence, according to Gannett’s Health Excuse Policy. However, students will not be able to provide written documentation from Gannett.

“Due to the growing demands on health services, particularly in the face of the H1N1/2009 influenza pandemic, Gannett no longer provides verification of visit forms,” the policy says.

Fuchs’ letter to faculty recommends that professors do not ask for written medical excuses from students who were out sick.

In Cornell’s physical education classes, where grades are based on attendance, instructors are prepared to accommodate students who are ill.

“We certainly are prepared to be as flexible as we need to be,” said Andrea Dutcher, the associate director of athletics. Instructors will consider the cases of students who are sick for an extended period on an individual basis, she said.

As of Monday, 623 students had been diagnosed by Gannett Health Services with probable H1N1 flu.

“The faculty realize that this year will be different than other years,” Fry said.