Even though strong winds blow away your good mood, it is not an excuse to blow off classes. Instead of skipping a lecture, you could find that tackling the weather head-on actually brings great rewards.

On a rainy Tuesday, several students from my journalism class were missing. Looking back on how draining it was to walk in the rain from Stevenson, I could see how students might lack motivation. Sabryna Cornish, assistant professor of communication, said the fact that we had a test before that was another reason to consider.

“I think it was specifically [that day that students missed] because it was right after the exam and it was rainy out,” Cornish said.

Although Cornish understands there are various reasons students wouldn’t come to class, she still feels that they should show up.

“My rule is that if I can get there, [students] can get there,” Cornish said.

Brooke Piller, junior early childhood education major, agrees with this philosophy. Even though people in her classes commute, and the weather doesn’t help attendance, she said there are ways to get to class on time.

“I live an hour away, and I left myself two hours to get from home to here and then walk from the visitor lot to the class,” Piller said.

Piller said rain should not stop students from coming to class.

“If it’s raining, you can sit underneath the bus stop thing and take the bus and walk from the bus to the building,” Piller said. “I just think that being in class is more important and more essential than if you have to get your hair wet or if it’s a little cold out.”

Piller realizes she risks a disposition if she misses more than three classes.

“With the disposition, you go in front of the board of education and you have to try and convince them that you deserve to stay in the major because it is limited admittance,” Piller said.

While the disposition concerns Piller, undeclared sophomore Raven Ware realizes the structures of classes do not change just because students do not attend.

“[My sociology professor] told the class that the show’s not gonna stop just because it’s raining,” Ware said. “You’re supposed to come to class.”

It is also important to note the benefits from attendance. Some professors believe in giving extra credit. Such was the case in my journalism class. Professor Cornish had the class watch a film and write a one-page reaction paper. While she said she would have given extra credit anyway, she also said that she believes in giving students recognition for their participation.

“If [students] make the effort to come to class, I make the effort to at least try and make the class pretty good [because] they made the effort for that,” Cornish said.

Ware said all of her classes on Tuesday were lower in attendance, but the students who attended her sociology class took advantage of the opportunity to boost their grade.

“[The professor] does this thing called unofficial attendance at the end of the year, and if you’ve been there all the time, then it can help your letter grade,” Ware said.

Ware also said her work ethic comes from her personal values and commitments.

“I have to keep a certain GPA [to stay in the SISTERS organization],” Ware said. “I have people at home that are counting on me.”

When you consider skipping a class, it is important to think about whether your reasons are rational. If there is an emergency, regardless of whether it’s weather-related, it might be understandable to miss a day.

But if you can think of ways to make it to class, you might feel that you gain more than you would otherwise.