Chapel Attendance and Accountability

The Geneva College chapel program is designed to serve as an integral part of the College’s educational mission.  Chapel is a weekly devotional time where the campus gathers together to praise God, hear His word, and seek His favor and direction as a Christian academic community.  To this end, it is expected that members of the college community will make every effort to attend on a weekly basis.  Student attendance is required.

Good Standing

Students who miss no more than four chapels during the semester will be in chapel “good standing.”  Please note that there will be no excused absences beyond these four missed chapels.  Students should plan for illness, weather, athletic trips, and other circumstances as they can not be used as valid reasons for missing more than the four allotted chapels per semester.

Chapel Warning

Students who miss more than four chapels in a single semester will be placed on “chapel warning.”  A letter from the Campus Ministry office will be sent, but failure to receive the letter will not alter the status.  This letter will let the student know that he/she has failed to meet the chapel requirement and will outline the process for returning to good standing as detailed below.  In order to return to good standing students must satisfy their chapel requirement on or before the 30th day of the following semester. 

Graduating seniors who have not met their chapel requirement during their final semester will have until the Thursday before graduation to complete their make-ups.  Those failing to do so will not graduate.  

Chapels are to be made up by going to the Library, checking out a CD/DVD of one of the chapels the student failed to attend, and writing a two page reflection paper (requirements will be provided).  Papers are to be submitted to the Campus Ministry office before the deadline noted in the student’s letter and will be reviewed for content and excellence.  Papers failing to meet the standard outlined above will be returned and the student will be given seven days to resubmit.   

Students who fail to complete the necessary make up chapels within the aforementioned time frame, including those who fail to resubmit a paper, will be placed on chapel probation for the next semester and will be expected to meet the requirements noted below. 

The college reserves the right to place a student whose lack of attendance is extreme in any given semester directly on chapel probation.

Chapel Probation

    

Students who are delinquent in the fulfillment of their chapel requirements for a second consecutive semester will be placed on “chapel probation.”  A letter from the Campus Ministry office will be sent, but failure to receive the letter will not alter the status.  Once a student is on chapel probation, he/she will have sixty days from the start of the next semester to meet the minimum requirement for the previous two semesters. 

While on chapel probation, students who have failed to meet the College’s chapel requirement will be ineligible to participate in extra-curricular activities.  This includes, but is not limited to, athletics (including off-season team practices), bands, choirs, theater, the Student Union, Residence Life, GC Life, involvement in clubs, and serving as a teaching assistant.  Probation will be lifted two weeks after completion of one’s requirements or two weeks after the probationary semester begins, whichever is later.  Those failing to complete the requirements will remain on Chapel probation for the entire semester. 

Graduating seniors who have not met their chapel requirement while on chapel probation during their final semester will have until the Thursday before graduation to complete their make ups.  Those failing to do so, will not graduate.  

Chapel Dismissal

Any student missing more than four chapels while on chapel probation will not be permitted to return to the College.  It is the College’s great hope that no such action will be needed.  However, the administration will not hesitate to do so as the student’s behavior will be seen as an indication that he/she no longer desires to be a part of the College community.   

Exemption Request

It is understood that there are some legitimate circumstances that will prevent students from attending chapel in a particular semester.  Students meeting the following exemptions must complete a chapel exemption form (available from the Campus Ministry office or on the Campus Ministry webpage) and return it to the Campus Ministry office prior to the end of the second week of classes each semester the exemption is requested.

1)  Students whose adviser-approved academic schedule requires them to be elsewhere during chapel   

     (scheduling documentation required):

a)  Student teaching

b)  Credit bearing off-campus internships

c)  College courses (such as the CCBC Aviation program and the Pittsburgh Art Institute)

d)  Off-campus study programs

2)  Non-residential students who are not scheduled for day classes before 12:20 p.m. on Wednesday.