Whenever illness or an emergency prevents a faculty member from meeting their scheduled classes, they are required to notify their department chair, program director, or dean so that measures can be taken to cover or cancel classes. Under emergency situations, faculty members should call the Campus Public Safety Office at (413) 565-1225, so that a campus public safety officer can inform students attending the 8 a.m. class that the class is canceled. If the faculty member can contact the Department Chair the previous night, they should do so, so that the additional time can be used to make alternative arrangements.

Faculty members are responsible for making up any undergraduate classes they miss after the first absence. Any students who have a legitimate reason for not being able to attend the make-up class should be excused by the faculty member, and the absence should not count against them. For graduate classes, the faculty member should provide a make-up class or another means to cover the material that was missed during the absence.