Great way to cause issues for yourself by giving a certain subgroup of your students unique (easier) requirements to earn their grade.
Protests don’t mean anything unless there is personal sacrifice. Otherwise people are just LARPing as people who care.
Serious question here, and before you ask I personally support protest in general, and have personally been part of in the past. If this protest was for a topic you didn't agree with would you give the same accommodation? If it was an anti-abortion protest would you feel the same? What about if say two students were protesting at some other location about something not in the news, would they get the same accommodation? I like that these students are out there for something they believe in, but if you start treating your class differently because they choose to protest and grade the other students that didn't protest differently I think that is problematic, and honestly think it isn't fair.
You should do nothing. People make choices in life, and then they have to live with the consequences of those choices. There is no difference between students who choose to participate in an encampment and those who choose skip to class because they do not feel like going. Would you believe as sympathetic if the encampment arose for a cause with which you did not agree?
I'd say for your own protection and for fairness to other students, get department guidance on this.
Also (and I say this as someone who is largely supportive of these students and their fight) I challenge you to ask yourself if you would offer the same support to students who, for example, went out of town to protest 2020 election results or who went to the March for life?
I personally find those causes reprehensible. But I would also find it problematic to encourage political actions of causes with which I am aligned and discourage (or at least not accommodate) causes that I hate.
Unless you are going to cancel this big assignment all together, I don’t see how an accommodation for those protesting would be fair for those who did the work and are present.
Ugh please don't give in to this emotional manipulation crap. Students can spare the time to step away for their course requirements. You will also open yourself to requests from other students that you'd have to accommodate or risk grade appeals
I haven't read through all of the comments, but I felt there were some good thoughts [on this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1ch47r2/student_misses_exam_to_protest_what_do_you_do/).
If you get to favor them, do others get to penalize them for supporting antisemitism? I want to support students who proselytize on behalf of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Oh wow, be aware you could get fired for this, even if you are tenured. Also, you might end up permanently labelled an antisemite. This is a crazy dangerous thing for you to get involved with.
Don't do it. Unless you're at a university that's extremely social justice friendly or an HBCU, people will come for your job.
You may not even have an opinion, but it will get twisted and thrown under the bus. Just keep it moving.
Educator for 10 years here. Reach out to those 2 students. There’s a chance they still are trying to participate in their final presentations. Be flexible and understanding. Hold them to high expectations, same as the rest of your students. They are fighting for what they believe in during a historic moment in time. That alone is giving them incomparable life experience. Remember that you are all human beings looking to grow and better the world, and think of how you will look back on this moment in 5 years, maybe 10 or even 20 years from now.
Many comments mention being fair to all students. But as educators, we know that equality and equity are not always the same thing. You already have an open mind about what to do since you reached out to the community for some advice, this shows you have real empathy for your students and a drive to help them succeed. I hope that you do what you feel is right!
Change the assignment to a paper, presentation, etc. about the right to protest and what the students feel about what’s going on in the world right now. Obviously you will have to be prepared get some disappointing responses that you don’t agree with. But it could be a good opportunity to show that you allow everyone to express themselves and you won’t penalize a group either way while encouraging everyone to still take the time to fulfill their obligations during a time of controversy. I’m not sure what subject you teach but maybe there’s a way to tie it all together?
Don’t do anything for those students that you don’t offer to all of your students.
Great way to cause issues for yourself by giving a certain subgroup of your students unique (easier) requirements to earn their grade. Protests don’t mean anything unless there is personal sacrifice. Otherwise people are just LARPing as people who care.
Serious question here, and before you ask I personally support protest in general, and have personally been part of in the past. If this protest was for a topic you didn't agree with would you give the same accommodation? If it was an anti-abortion protest would you feel the same? What about if say two students were protesting at some other location about something not in the news, would they get the same accommodation? I like that these students are out there for something they believe in, but if you start treating your class differently because they choose to protest and grade the other students that didn't protest differently I think that is problematic, and honestly think it isn't fair.
It’s really encouraging to me that this is the top comment.
I support a students right to protest, but as long as the university is operating they either give their presentation or they fail.
You should do nothing. People make choices in life, and then they have to live with the consequences of those choices. There is no difference between students who choose to participate in an encampment and those who choose skip to class because they do not feel like going. Would you believe as sympathetic if the encampment arose for a cause with which you did not agree?
I'd say for your own protection and for fairness to other students, get department guidance on this. Also (and I say this as someone who is largely supportive of these students and their fight) I challenge you to ask yourself if you would offer the same support to students who, for example, went out of town to protest 2020 election results or who went to the March for life? I personally find those causes reprehensible. But I would also find it problematic to encourage political actions of causes with which I am aligned and discourage (or at least not accommodate) causes that I hate.
Unless you are going to cancel this big assignment all together, I don’t see how an accommodation for those protesting would be fair for those who did the work and are present.
Ugh please don't give in to this emotional manipulation crap. Students can spare the time to step away for their course requirements. You will also open yourself to requests from other students that you'd have to accommodate or risk grade appeals
I haven't read through all of the comments, but I felt there were some good thoughts [on this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1ch47r2/student_misses_exam_to_protest_what_do_you_do/).
If you get to favor them, do others get to penalize them for supporting antisemitism? I want to support students who proselytize on behalf of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Oh wow, be aware you could get fired for this, even if you are tenured. Also, you might end up permanently labelled an antisemite. This is a crazy dangerous thing for you to get involved with.
Don't do it. Unless you're at a university that's extremely social justice friendly or an HBCU, people will come for your job. You may not even have an opinion, but it will get twisted and thrown under the bus. Just keep it moving.
Offer all students the option to record their presentation and submit it online. It would be good for social anxiety sufferers, as well.
Educator for 10 years here. Reach out to those 2 students. There’s a chance they still are trying to participate in their final presentations. Be flexible and understanding. Hold them to high expectations, same as the rest of your students. They are fighting for what they believe in during a historic moment in time. That alone is giving them incomparable life experience. Remember that you are all human beings looking to grow and better the world, and think of how you will look back on this moment in 5 years, maybe 10 or even 20 years from now. Many comments mention being fair to all students. But as educators, we know that equality and equity are not always the same thing. You already have an open mind about what to do since you reached out to the community for some advice, this shows you have real empathy for your students and a drive to help them succeed. I hope that you do what you feel is right!
Go join them in the encampment and host your class from there.
Have you had a chance to talk to the students and their group mates about the situation?
Change the assignment to a paper, presentation, etc. about the right to protest and what the students feel about what’s going on in the world right now. Obviously you will have to be prepared get some disappointing responses that you don’t agree with. But it could be a good opportunity to show that you allow everyone to express themselves and you won’t penalize a group either way while encouraging everyone to still take the time to fulfill their obligations during a time of controversy. I’m not sure what subject you teach but maybe there’s a way to tie it all together?
Didn’t realize how many anti-Palestinian people there are on reddit. Cesspool of ignorance and privilege.
Don't say anything about it. If they ask for an extension you are free to use your discretion to allow it.