The University Policy on Grief Absence states:
“The faculty and staff should be sensitive to and accommodate the bereavement process of a student who has lost a family member or who is experiencing emotional distress from a similar tragedy so that the student is not academically disadvantaged in their classes or other academic work (e.g., research) [...] It is the responsibility of the instructor to work with the student to make reasonable accommodations and to include appropriate language describing such accommodations in their course syllabus, so that the student is not penalized due to a verified grief absence.”
(excerpt from MSU Registrar's Office)
The goal of this policy is to provide a mechanism to standardize, monitor, and accommodate students who request temporary absence from a course, or special accommodations for a quiz or an exam because of the loss or serious injury of a family member (parent, grandparent, sibling, spouse, or child). Students are directed to notify the Associate Dean of their college and document the reason for the grief absence, and the Associate Dean, in turn, is charged with notifying the student’s instructors that the bereavement event has been verified. It is the student’s responsibility to make up any missed work.
The MSU College of Social Science has a college-wide policy that can be referenced in individual course syllabi.