Chapel Attendance
All students are required to attend chapel, held once each day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 10:05am and 11:00am in the chapel Auditorium.
Students should come prepared to encounter God. Students are encouraged to refrain from studying or using electronic devices for purposes other than participating in worship (i.e. scripture and note taking). In addition, food and drinks are not permitted in the auditorium.
Attendance for Chapel is registered as students exit the auditorium at the end of Chapel. A student must be prepared to scan his or her ID card upon exiting to be counted present. Attendance is not registered for any student scanning out early. All students must arrive to chapel by 10:15am to receive credit.
Attendance credit will not be given to students without student IDs. Students who forget or lose their student ID card will be able to receive credit - one time per semester - by submitting detailed notes of what happened in chapel (including an outline of the message if appropriate) to the Office of the Dean of the chapel, located in the Chapel Auditorium. To receive credit, chapel notes must be submitted within 24 hours of that specific chapel date. If a student ID card does not scan properly, stop by the Dean of the Chapel Office to report the problem immediately.
Students are granted a total of six unexcused chapel absences per semester. These unexcused absences may be used at the student's discretion. Alternate chapel credit opportunities are also available through the semester.
Additional excuses will not be granted for non-emergency illness, medical appointments, or appointments with IWU faculty/administrators. Students are encouraged to exercise wisdom when using their allowed absences. Seniors desiring to be excused for senior development activities must complete an Excused Absence Request with the Office of Student Engagement. If approved by the Dean of the Chapel's Office, up to two senior development absences per semester may be excused. Excuses for personal hospitalization or death of a family member must be submitted to the Student Engagement office.
Attendance Exemptions
All resident students are required to attend Chapel. Attendance is also required for all full-time commuting students under 23 years of age with classes both immediately before AND immediately after the Chapel period (e.g., if a student has M, W, F classes at 8:55am and 11:05am, then that student is required to attend the chapel service offered on those days. Conversely, if the student has a class at 8:55am and their next class is not until 12:10pm, that student is eligible for a chapel exemption).
An online Chapel Exemption Form must be completed and approved by the Office of the Dean of the Chapel for those students who will be consistently absent from chapel due to: student teaching; work schedules (must obtain a supervisor's signature); practicum; internship opportunities relating to the student's major area of study; or a commuter student whose schedule falls under the above requirements. Students granted exemption for one day a week will be allowed four absences per semester and students granted exemption for two days a week will be allowed two absences per semester.
Students are strongly encouraged to submit exemption requests within the first three weeks of the semester to avoid complications with his or her attendance record. Any student in need of an exemption, including commuter students who meet the aforementioned schedule requirements, must apply for a chapel exemption as no one is automatically exempt from chapel.
Attendance Tracking
Students are responsible for monitoring their own Chapel attendance online through the IWU Portal.To check your chapel attendance record, log in to the IWU Portal. Under the Menu in the top left corner, click on IWU-Marion Students, IWU Life, then Chapel, the Chapel Home. Click on the drop down title Chapel Forms and Attendance and then click on Review your Chapel attendance.
Students will periodically receive courtesy attendance updates. Students who exceed the allowed chapel absences will be notified of such at the end of each semester. Attendance information is available for advisors, coaches, music directors, etc.
Students who exceed the allowed chapel absences for the semester will be required to make up chapels through the following process: listen to two chapel recordings and complete two forms to make up one excessive chapel absence. Recordings from the current semester or the semester during which the absences occurred will not count toward chapel make-ups. Recordings are available online via the chapel page on the IWU Portal. Makeup forms are processed in two working days on average. Note that delays are possible during holidays/breaks, May term, summer months, and registration weeks.
In addition, students who exceed the allowed chapel absences for any given semester will be subject to the following:
- A registration hold will be placed on the student's account until all excessive chapel absences are made up (see Attendance Tracking section). For example, chapel holds from the Fall semester will prevent registration for classes for the following May, Summer, Fall, and all subsequent terms. chapel holds from the Spring semester will prevent registration for classes for the following Spring semester and all subsequent terms.
- A student who incurs a chapel hold for multiple semesters may be asked to meet with Dean of the Chapel, a member of the Chapel team, or a representative of the Student Conduct Office.
- Excessive Chapel absences will not prohibit students who have completed a degree from receiving a diploma but will result in a hold on his/her account. Graduates are required to make up excessive absences in order to register for any additional undergraduate courses at IWU-Marion. Graduates attempting to register for graduate courses at IWU should contact the DoC Office to request the hold be removed.
Attendance Integrity
Students who attempt to defraud the chapel attendance system have committed an Honesty/Integrity violation. A student who falsifies his or her chapel attendance in any manner, including falsified information on chapel make up forms, will not receive credit for the falsified chapel and may be required to meet with a representative of the Office of the Dean of the Chapel or the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
