HANNAH BLIDY
Guest Scallywag
If you’re a student at Fredonia, you know that every teacher has its own attendance policy. Every semester, professors outline requirements of the course and of those requirements.
Attendance is one of the most crucial. The usual policy that professors have is that a student can have up to three unexcused absences.
But how will the professor take attendance of an invisible student?
Alex Covert, a freshman English major, has chronic illness invisibilitis and the side effects of this illness are severe. While the illness doesn’t cause pain or other physical symptoms, it causes Alex to be constantly invisible.
They said, “It’s just so hard managing this disease. In high school, all my teachers were very accepting and patient with me. Now that I’m in college, though, my professors have been giving me a really tough time. I’ve never missed a class, but all of my professors emailed me this week saying that if I don’t show up, I’ll flunk out! It’s so unfair. I really just don’t know what to do.”
Covert tried registering their chronic illness with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but when they showed up for their appointment, the secretary screamed and thought she had heard a ghost.
When asked about this incident, Covert said, “Yeah, that happens all the time. It’s honestly really offensive. People have no idea what I’m dealing with and then to be called a ghost? It’s disrespectful.”
They also said that if this keeps being an issue, they’re going to sue SUNY Fredonia for negligence. So come on Fredonia, let’s all work to make life a little more bearable for our dear friend Alex, the invisible student.