Dean's excuses are never a sure—or fair—thing

As the year ends, increasing numbers of students are coming to residential college Deans' offices requesting extensions on papers or postponements of tests. They come for many reasons—some are over-stressed, others have fallen ill, a number have too many extracurricular commitments, and still others are weighed down by excessive amounts of work that have accumulated over the semester. Because 12 different people are making decisions independently, there are inevitable discrepancies in the ways in which each Dean handles particular cases and the perceived fairness of their policies.

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH Looking to postpone a term paper? Sooner or later, all desperate students must pass through this door.

Joshua Karton, TD '01, explained, "The differences between the way that the Deans handle things are enormous." He pointed out that, although he felt that his Dean, John Loge, is "very fair" in the way he handles situations, he does not seem to check on how ill students are when they ask for an excuse. Karton contrasted this with Deans in other colleges, saying, "My friend in Davenport said that there you have to be at death's door to get excused." And Nancy Levy, PC '02, claimed that in her college, "The Dean gives the excuses out like candy." She said that she knew students who stayed out all night, then claimed that they were ill and got excuses.

The Yale College Programs of Study specifies that Deans may only excuse students for missed work or from exams due to "an incapacitating illness, the death of a family member, or a comparable emergency." In addition, varsity athletes are allowed excuses when they participate in "varsity events sponsored by the Department of Athletics." Some students believe that this policy is too lenient toward athletes.

Jonathan Edwards Dean Christos Cabolis said that he feels that the Deans all follow the Yale College Programs of Study guidelines. However, he explained, "One of the reasons that we have Deans is that we evaluate everything. I follow the book, but there are times when you need to accommodate students because issues may arise that are out of their control." He said that when confronted with a situation that he feels is borderline, he may consult a colleague to ensure consistency.

Cabolis believes that students perceive inconsistencies between Deans not because of actual discrepancies, but because of the ways in which students explain their situations to others. He cited an example in which a student might come into his office with a very personal problem, such as a death in the family. He would grant the student an excuse for that reason, but because the student might not want to share such personal information with her peers, she might claim that she got the excuse for a different reason. Cabolis explained, "She might say that she was tired or something like that." He concluded that upon hearing that she was granted an excuse for that reason, other students would be shocked and would complain that their Deans didn't give them an excuse when they had asked for one for the same reason.

Cabolis defends the University's policy of granting Dean's excuses to varsity athletes for exams or work missed due to their sport. "It is not an unfair policy," he said. "The athletes are representing Yale at their events and are sent to them by the University. By contrast, a student in a theater group who decides to go to Boston to perform for a charity chose to do that on his own and is not representing Yale."

Lindsey Finch, BK '03, who runs varsity cross country and track, said that there is a misconception that athletes use their Dean's excuse privileges excessively to get out of work. "Varsity athletes are among the hardest-working students at Yale because of their numerous and extensive commitments," she said. "I know very few teammates who have ever needed to get Dean's excuses."

Karton, head delegate of Yale's Model United Nations team, believes Dean's excuses should not be exclusive to athletes. Having traveled to Chicago and other cities to participate in Model UN functions, he claimed, "Model UN is just as time-consuming as varsity sports can be." Levy added, "Dean's excuses should be extended to people in all sorts of groups. It should be up to the Deans to decide what is appropriate."

Club lacrosse captain Jaime Moo-Young, JE '02, on the other hand, does not feel that she or her teammates should be allowed the Dean's excuse privilege. "It really depends who is scheduling the games," she said. "On our team, we decide when the games are. In the case of the varsity teams, it is out of their control when they play other teams."

Ultimately, the variety of student situations is precisely the problem. Due to the narrowness of current policies, Deans must either be draconian or lenient when it comes to dispensing that prized excuse.

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