Instructor Short-Term Absences, Leaves, and Substitutes

In general, faculty should not cancel classes for anticipated low attendance before holiday weekends, near the official end of the semester, etc. However, sometimes faculty absences are unavoidable.

• Unplanned short term absences: If you are sick or unable to teach a class on short notice, you can request a substitute for the day from the Writing Program. CAS has agreed to pay part-time lecturers to cover short-term, unplanned absences on a pro-rated per class basis. Please do not post these requests to the faculty list.
• Planned short-term absences: If you need to miss class to attend a conference or similar reasons, you can ask a colleague to cover for you, but they will not be paid. For this reason, full-timers should refrain from asking part-timers. Alternatively, you may schedule a workshop with the Educational Resource Center, who offer a variety of academic skills workshops, each usually about an hour long, by ERC staff. Sometimes a carefully designed asynchronous activity in lieu of class is the most pedagogically sound choice.
• Long-term absences: If you need to be absent for two weeks or more for medical reasons, please contact wpadmin@bu.edu as soon as you know this will be the case. We will identify a substitute (full- or part-time) who will be paid a pro-rated per class basis.
• If you need an accommodation for a physical or other disability or long- or short-term condition which is impacting your ability to access classrooms and/or office spaces, consider filing for an accommodation through the BU EOO office. This is the best way to make sure that classrooms assigned to you meet your needs. Read more about accommodations here.