OFFICE HOURS:  I have no set office hours, but I will meet with you: a) after lecture or before lecture, b) or we can set up an appointment; see me before or after lecture or call me and we will select a time.

REQUIRED TEXT: Horticulture - Science and Practices, D.W. Reed, Pearson Custom Publ., Edina, MN.  Available  at the campus and most off campus bookstores.  This is a lecture supplement and must be brought to all lectures.

OPTIONAL TEXT: The Biology of Horticulture,  J.E. Preece and P.E. Read, 1993, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NY. The text is optional.  Available at the campus and most off campus bookstores.

QUIZ FILE: Can be: 1) checked out of the Reserve Desk at the West Campus Library, or 2) obtained from Electronic Reserve at  Electronic Reserve System. The Quiz File contains 10 years worth of exams.

VIDEO TAPES: Every lecture will be digitally video taped.   DVDs of each lecture are placed on 2-hour reserve  in the West Campus Library Reserve Desk.   The DVDs can be viewed on any computer in any of the student computer labs..

LATE ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES: Lecture: I realize A&M is a very large campus. Therefore, late arrivals and early departures will be tolerated within reason (a few minutes).  Enter/exit quietly and sit in the back of the class. However, lecture will start and end on time.  Exams: Late arrivals are not tolerated for exams; after the first student finishes and leaves the room then no other students are allowed in the room, unless there is an extraordinary reason for arriving late and it can be verified.

CELLULAR PHONES:  If your cell phone or beeper rings during class repeatedly or if you answer a phone that was on vibrate, you may be asked to leave the classroom.

ATTENDANCE: I do not take roll, but please make an effort to attend all lectures.

7.   Attendance  (Revised: 2010)

Introduction

The university views class attendance as an individual student responsibility. Students are expected to attend class and to complete all assignments. Instructors are expected to give adequate notice of the dates on which major tests will be given and assignments will be due. This information should be provided on the course syllabus, which should be distributed at the first class meeting. Graduate students are expected to attend all examinations required by departments or advisory committees as scheduled formally.

Students who are requesting an excused absence are expected to uphold the Aggie Honor Code and Student Conduct Code (See Rule 24).

Excused Absences

7.1          The student is responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to the instructor to substantiate the reason for absence. Among the reasons absences are considered excused by the university are the following: (¹Muster)

7.1.1   Participation in an activity appearing on the university authorized activity list. (see List of Authorized and Sponsored Activities)

7.1.2   Death or major illness in a student’s immediate family.  Immediate family may include:  mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, spouse, child, spouse’s child, spouse’s parents, spouse’s grandparents, stepmother, step-father, step-sister, step-brother, step-grandparents, grandchild, step-grandchild, legal guardian, and others as deemed appropriate by faculty member or student’s academic Dean or designee.

7.1.3   Illness of a dependent family member.

7.1.4   Participation in legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence.

7.1.5   Religious holy day. (See Appendix IV.)

7.1.6   Injury or Illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class.

7.1.6.1          Injury or illness of three or more days. For injury or illness that requires a student to be absent from classes for three or more business days (to include classes on Saturday), the student should obtain a medical confirmation note from his or her medical provider. The Student Health Center or an off-campus medical professional can provide a medical confirmation note only if medical professionals are involved in the medical care of the student. The medical confirmation note must contain the date and time of the illness and medical professional’s confirmation of needed absence.

7.1.6.2          Injury or illness less than three days. Faculty members may require confirmation of student injury or illness that is serious enough for a student to be absent from class for a period less than three business days (to include classes on Saturday). At the discretion of the faculty member and/or academic department standard, as outlined in the course syllabus, illness confirmation may be obtained by one or both of the following methods:

a.    Texas A&M University Explanatory Statement for Absence from Class form available at http://attendance.tamu.edu.

b.    Confirmation of visit to a health care professional affirming date and time of visit.

7.1.6.3          An absence for a non acute medical service does not constitute an excused absence.

7.1.7   Required participation in military duties.

7.1.8   Mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school which cannot be rescheduled.

7.2          The associate dean for undergraduate programs, or the dean’s designee, of the student’s college may provide a letter for the student to take to the instructor stating that the dean has verified the student’s absence as excused.

7.3          Students may be excused from attending class on the day of a graded activity or when attendance contributes to a student's grade, for the reasons stated in Section 7.1, or other reason deemed appropriate by the student's instructor.  Except in the case of the observance of a religious holiday, to be excused the student must notify his or her instructor in writing (acknowledged e-mail message is acceptable) prior to the date of absence if such notification is feasible.  In cases where advance notification is not feasible (e.g. accident, or emergency) the student must provide notification by the end of the second working day after the absence.  This notification should include an explanation of why notice could not be sent prior to the class.  Accommodations sought for absences due to the observance of a religious holiday can be sought either prior or after the absence, but not later than two working days after the absence.

If needed, the student must provide additional documentation substantiating the reason for the absence, that is satisfactory to the instructor, within one week of the last date of the absence.

If the absence is excused, the instructor must either provide the student an opportunity to make up any quiz, exam or other graded activities or provide a satisfactory alternative to be completed within 30 calendar days from the last day of the absence.

7.4          The instructor is under no obligation to provide an opportunity for the student to make up work missed because of an unexcused absence.

7.5          See Part III, Grievance Procedures: 49. Unexcused Absences, for information on appealing an instructor’s decision.

7.6          If the student is absent for excused reasons for an unreasonable amount of time during the semester, the academic Dean or designee of the student’s college may consider giving the student a grade of W during the semester enrolled or a NG (no grade) following posting of final grades.

7.7          Whenever a student is absent for unknown reasons for an extended period of time, the instructor should initiate a check on the welfare of the student by reporting through the head of the student’s major department to the Dean or designee of the student’s college.