Originally Posted by Levix

My prof is demanding a doctor's note. Hoping something can be done by the faculty advisers when I see them on Tuesday, although I'm not too hopeful.

I'm almost certain he can't ask for a doctor's note, the entire point of this policy is to avoid them. You can go to the school clinic and they'll tell you to fill out the MSAF rather than writing you a note and if you're healthy now there's now way to get a note. It just seems like your prof is being stubborn, he'll probably be forced to accept the MSAF after you talk to administration.

Originally Posted by Tailsnake

I'm almost certain he can't ask for a doctor's note, the entire point of this policy is to avoid them. You can go to the school clinic and they'll tell you to fill out the MSAF rather than writing you a note and if you're healthy now there's now way to get a note. It just seems like your prof is being stubborn, he'll probably be forced to accept the MSAF after you talk to administration.

Yea, from what I understand if I did go to the clinic, they would have told me to fill out the MSAF without giving me a note. That's what hoping for, going to the faculty advisers on Tuesday and probably checking out the clinic to see if there is anything that can be done as well.

Originally Posted by Patrick.O

First of all it's 2 a term.

Second of all, no the profs will not ask you for a doctor's note. The whole point of the MSAF is to bypass the doctor's note procedure, that's why you can only use it twice a term. It's the first and last note that you have to submit and they cannot ask you for anything else.

However, if you exceed two you have to go to the associate dean's office and they will most likely ask for a doctor's note.

My bad on the term/year thing. That was more or less a slip-up on my part. I do know it's 2 per term.

Frankly you are wrong about the MSAF being an all mighty excuse note for everything. Profs will most likely not ask you for a doctor's if you missed some minor work, but if you're missing exams or major assignments they are completely within their rights to ask for a note even if you fill out the msaf. That's what I meant by it's not an automatic freebie. I had to produce a doctor's note for chemistry because I missed 13 days to an operation to remove a tumour and in that time missed a lab, a quiz, and a mid-term and the prof wasn't happy. The lady at the office of the associate dean of science confirmed to me that they can ask for a note, it's just not very common since it's usually a waste of their time.

Originally Posted by Tailsnake

I'm almost certain he can't ask for a doctor's note, the entire point of this policy is to avoid them. You can go to the school clinic and they'll tell you to fill out the MSAF rather than writing you a note and if you're healthy now there's now way to get a note. It just seems like your prof is being stubborn, he'll probably be forced to accept the MSAF after you talk to administration.

The mcmaster clinic doctors don't tell you to fill out an msaf it you are legitimately sick. They do you one better and print off the form you need to get signed by a doctor to submit to the office of the associate dean(which is required to get access to the unlimited msaf forms). It covers how long you are excused for and how much your illness would impair your school work. The doctor I saw at Mac excused for a month's worth of school even though I was only going to be missing 2-3 weeks.

tl;dr If you are legitimately sick the doctors at the clinic will fill out the doctor's form for the dean which is more likely to get you excused from major assignments.

Originally Posted by REPLEKIA/.

My bad on the term/year thing. That was more or less a slip-up on my part. I do know it's 2 per term.

Frankly you are wrong about the MSAF being an all mighty excuse note for everything. Profs will most likely not ask you for a doctor's if you missed some minor work, but if you're missing exams or major assignments they are completely within their rights to ask for a note even if you fill out the msaf. That's what I meant by it's not an automatic freebie. I had to produce a doctor's note for chemistry because I missed 13 days to an operation to remove a tumour and in that time missed a lab, a quiz, and a mid-term and the prof wasn't happy. The lady at the office of the associate dean of science confirmed to me that they can ask for a note, it's just not very common since it's usually a waste of their time.

The mcmaster clinic doctors don't tell you to fill out an msaf it you are legitimately sick. They do you one better and print off the form you need to get signed by a doctor to submit to the office of the associate dean(which is required to get access to the unlimited msaf forms). It covers how long you are excused for and how much your illness would impair your school work. The doctor I saw at Mac excused for a month's worth of school even though I was only going to be missing 2-3 weeks.

tl;dr If you are legitimately sick the doctors at the clinic will fill out the doctor's form for the dean which is more likely to get you excused from major assignments.

You missed 13 days, so it's different, you couldn't use the msaf for that.

Regardless, I'll find out today if msaf is a get out of jail card that the profs cannot deny, or something useless that most profs just let it slip by. I know many students who used it for midterms and the profs simply okay it, they are shocked when I tell them about my situation.

Will be interesting as most students view it as the almighty excuse, and this is the first time I use it :( not that I would use it again, only one month left until exams.

Obviously I'm not too hopeful.

But would be wierd if profs can ask you for a note...then why create the msaf and put a 2 per term limit on it.

I'm having the same issue. I was legitimately ill and filled out the MSAF for a midterm and the professor (for anthro 1A03) is demanding a doctors note. I'm no longer sick, and I was only sick for maybe 3-4 days. The MSAF says to NOT go to class, and isolate yourself. It also says you are not required of documentation unless ill for more than 5 days. So I don't see how I can be required to submit a doctors note (I can't even get one now that I'm not ill unless by illegitimate means) if I was mislead by McMaster's own website's form. Perhaps if in the course outline she said the MSAF was nullified in her class, but it does not.