I recently attended a townhall meeting where the university addressed student feedback and concerns.
One of the main topics was the new attendance system. The university had recently moved attendance from Moodle to a dedicated mobile app. The rollout was rough. During the first few weeks, the app frequently became overloaded whenever attendance opened. Students were understandably frustrated by that.
The discussion eventually shifted away from the technical problems and towards attendance itself.
One student raised a question about people who live far from campus. They pointed out that some students may spend around two hours travelling to class, meaning a round trip could take four hours or more each day. Others added examples such as students crossing the border from another country and needing to wake up significantly earlier just to arrive on time.
I understand that long commutes are difficult. Spending several hours travelling every day is not enjoyable, and I would not want to do it either.
What I struggled to understand was why this was being presented as the university’s responsibility to solve.
The university’s response was simple. Attendance is compulsory. If you do not attend class, mark yourself absent. If you are late beyond the allowed grace period, you are considered absent. Whether you attend or not is ultimately your decision.
Personally, that is fair.
The university did not choose where students live. It did not force anyone to enrol. Every student knew where the campus was before accepting their place. Long commutes are inconvenient, but inconvenience does not automatically make a rule unreasonable.
The discussion then moved to another example.
Someone asked what happens if a student simply does not feel like coming to campus.
The university’s answer was essentially the same: if you choose not to attend, then mark yourself absent.
Again, I do not really see a problem with that.
Being a student comes with responsibilities. If there is a group project, your absence affects other people. If there is a lab session, missing it means missing part of the learning experience. Universities are not just places that hand out qualifications. They also expect participation.
What surprised me most was how many students seemed to agree with the argument.
Maybe I am looking at this differently because I worked before coming to university. In several jobs I had, some colleagues spent hours commuting every day. Others crossed the border for work. They still showed up on time because that was part of the commitment they had accepted when taking the job.
University is obviously not the same as employment, but I think the underlying principle is similar. When you choose to join something, you also accept the responsibilities that come with it.
That does not mean the attendance app should not be improved. The technical issues were real, and students were right to raise concerns about them.
What I disagree with is the idea that personal choices and personal responsibilities should become institutional problems.
The app can be fixed. Expectations are a much harder problem.