Instructor tells student to drop class or come take the exam after a student’s husband dies
“It’s not my fault, it’s not like I’m sitting at home and I don’t want to take the test,” said Briana Gabriel, a biology major.
October 7, 2021
Editor’s note: The University Press has clarified this story to properly reflect the title of Alberto Haces, provide comments from media relations personnel, and better detail the policies of Haces’ class.
Some students in a university science class are frustrated about how an educator responded to the death of a classmate’s husband. Just two days before the first exam of the semester, biology major Briana Gabriel’s husband, Tony, passed away from pneumonia on Sept. 13.
Gabriel approached Alberto Haces, the senior instructor of her Biochemistry 1 class, about her situation but did not receive the compassion she expected. Gabriel said that Haces told her to take the exam, miss the exam and have it dropped, or drop the class.
According to the class syllabus, there are no make-up assessments for students who miss the first of the three exams. If a student misses a test due to illness or any other reason, that test is dropped from the students’ overall class grade.
Should a student miss a second or final exam during the semester, the student would receive a grade of zero unless the student either notifies the professor they’ll be absent or the student presents a legitimate, documented reason for missing a test.
In the syllabus, proper documentation for a medical problem requires a hospital visit with discharge papers and filled prescriptions (no walk-in clinic) or a similar indication from the doctor. The student must also provide the doctor’s phone number. If the conditions are met, a make-up test will be given but will be in essay format.
“If I had to accommodate multiple students at multiple times with [different] versions, I would have a [logistical] nightmare on my hands,” said Haces. “This is why I drop a test.”
After Gabriel sent Haces an email explaining her situation, Haces replied saying that she must take the exam or the best he could do was give her an incomplete.
An incomplete in a class is given when a student doesn’t finish their course due to unforeseen circumstances. Such a distinction gives them a year to finish the course.
According to the FAU Catalog, a document describing student policies and regulations, a student can withdraw from all classes due to exceptional circumstances and may receive a refund when the request for withdrawal is granted.
The circumstances can be student illness, military conscription, or death of an immediate family member, etc. In order for a student to receive the withdrawal, they must contact the Dean of Students to submit paperwork or visit the exceptional circumstances website.
Gabriel says Haces was the only instructor who would not allow her to reschedule. Because Gabriel is slated to graduate in December, she was trying to avoid dropping a class.
“It’s not my fault, it’s not like I’m sitting at home and I don’t want to take the test,” said Gabriel. “That’s not the issue.”
Gabriel eventually went to Samieca Morgan, an assistant dean of students and case manager, to find a resolution. She claims Morgan told her that Haces has the final say on a test extension.
The UP reached out to Morgan for comment and was redirected to Joshua Glanzer, assistant vice president for media relations and public affairs. He told the UP about the absence policy and exceptional circumstances withdrawal that is noted in the FAU catalog.
The absence policy for undergraduate studies says students are responsible for arranging make-up work missed because of a legitimate class absence. Under a legitimate absence, illness, family emergencies, military obligation, court-imposed legal obligations, or participation in a University-approved activity. A student is responsible to give an instructor notice prior to any anticipated absence and within a reasonable time frame after an unanticipated absence. Instructors must allow each student to make up work missed without any reduction in the final course grade as a direct result of an absence.
At the end of the exam, she told Haces having her take the exam was the meanest thing someone has done to her.
“I told her since I drop one exam for these circumstances, this will be her drop exam,” said Haces. “I assumed that if she was mourning, the last thing in her mind would be there asking for make-up the day of the exam.”
Biological sciences major Stephanie Rothenberg was stunned by the lack of empathy and humanity from Haces toward her classmate.
“It’s fascinating to me that this does not constitute an extreme emergency,” said Rothenberg.
“I’m unable to tell you what constitutes an extreme emergency in his opinion so it only appears to apply to him.”
Biology major Taylor Slaydon couldn’t imagine if her boyfriend died and had to still go take an exam. “I felt really bad for her [and] I couldn’t imagine what she’s going through,” said Slaydon.
Natalia Ribeiro is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories email [email protected] or tweet her @nataliar_99.
Kostia Ostapchuk • Oct 16, 2023 at 9:16 pm
Good afternoon,
I’ve just completed reading the article. I wish to express that I was one of Dr. Haces’s chemistry students. My experience with him was entirely positive, as he proved to be an exceptional instructor during his tenure at FAU. Learning of his termination from the class was genuinely disheartening. In my view, this was an unfortunate decision, and it shouldn’t have transpired.
In a show of support, over a hundred students, including myself, signed a letter endorsing him. I think that this article is ruining his reputation and he doesn’t deserve that. I remain optimistic that everything will ultimately resolve favorably for him.
Dylan • Nov 12, 2021 at 10:00 am
I’m going to refrain from talking about the specifics of this incident because I know nothing about them. Things rarely are as cut and dry as a brief school newspaper article has the ability to explicate and to be frank, the tenor of the article does not do much to inspire confidence in its objectivity. Why for example, is it important that the reader know random students were “stunned by the lack of empathy and humanity”? Is this to provide better context with which the reader could understand the details of the story? To my eye, they seem more like suggestions about how readers *ought* to feel about this story. There is certainly a place for editorials, but one should be clear about the difference between these and a straight reporting of facts.
As an FAU alumna and former student of Dr. Haces however, I feel compelled to comment on something I do know a bit about—that is, the character of Dr. Haces. I took several courses with Dr. Haces during my time at FAU and developed (I would like to think anyway), something of a personal relationship with him. I discovered fairly quickly that he was both generous with his time and extremely knowledgeable about his subject matter, but this is not what stood out about him (FAU in fact is chock-full of talented educators). What stood out about him was his ethical seriousness and the way it informed everything he did. He saw his task as an educator as of the utmost importance and saw his students less as kids to be instructed than as the scientists and doctors they hoped to be. He took your goals as seriously as you took them and refused to condescend or make allowances for you where he didn’t think they were to your benefit. When it came to the rules for his courses, he designed them to be as fair as possible, but did not deviate from them. I got a taste of why this was the case on my last day of school. I went to his office to say goodbye and thank him, and this simple task ended up taking up a good chunk of the afternoon: there were students lined around the corner waiting for their turn to explain why their particular situation merited an exception and why they needed this exam score curved and so on (and on and on). This is not to minimize what happened to the student in this piece. The tragedies that befall students during their college years are real indeed and I’m hard pressed to think of something more difficult than the death of a spouse. But the challenges of juggling responses to the spectrum of misfortunes of hundreds of students a semester is not something students typically trouble themselves with thinking about.
Anyway the point of my comment was put just as well (and admittedly more succinctly) by one of the commenters before me: Haces is one of the good ones. FAU would be a poorer place without him.
Alfredo • Dec 7, 2021 at 12:47 am
Boot licking moron you are, and whoever it was that raised you.
MANDY • Nov 6, 2021 at 12:13 pm
My understanding is, he offered a make up exam to the student, but she Did not take the offer. There are witnesses of this.
Robert • Nov 3, 2021 at 5:32 pm
I had Dr. Haces for bio chem 1 and 2. I remember from the syllabus that if something tragic like this happens he excuses the absence for missing the exam, and drops the exam all together. After studying under him I continued at FAU as a grad student. Dr. Haces would allow me to eat lunch in his office so I didn’t have to eat alone, and helped me with my thesis. He is one of the good ones IMHO.
drey • Oct 21, 2021 at 2:06 am
$80,000 To teach BioChemistry at a University in Boca Raton, and all FAU could find was Haces? C’mon Man!
Mandy • Oct 20, 2021 at 9:26 pm
He drops one exam. She could simply skip this exam and it would not be counted towards her final grade.
Tati • Oct 20, 2021 at 5:18 pm
I am flabergasted by his lack of empathy. Can’t imagine how this man acts outside of class. 😳😳
Marcelo • Oct 18, 2021 at 8:39 pm
His syllabus was clear as day, it is unfortunate that her husband died, but the rules are very clear and he is being fair to everyone. After all, we all want a society that has equal treatment right? Or does that not apply here? People need to understand that stuff happens and sometimes you gotta push forward. There’s 200 students in his class, everyone has their stuff at home to deal with thats why he makes a GENERAL rule to drop an exam, he clearly did not obligate the student to take the exam or drop the class, he was giving her options.
Zalmen • Oct 12, 2021 at 3:54 pm
Unfortunately, I had an experience with Haces fairly similar to this one. He’s an incredibly apathetic professor. I wish FAU administrators would take note of the years of complaints made against him…
Daviana • Oct 10, 2021 at 2:11 am
Haces has always been like that though. Nothing new sad to say. When I had him he was so mean.
Sayd Hussain • Oct 9, 2021 at 11:33 pm
Sound typical of (assuming tenure) FAU professors.
Sayd Hussain • Oct 9, 2021 at 11:31 pm
Sound typical of tenure professors.
Stephan Schneider • Oct 8, 2021 at 8:12 pm
Absolutely shameful behavior by this professor. He may have the right to administer his class as he chooses but that’s no excuse for such lack of empathy. Who is he to determine what a person is supposed to think about when their husband dies? I commend this student for keeping her head on straight after experiencing the unimaginable to try to keep her life on the tracks by asking for accommodations. It’s way too easy for someone to lose control after such a loss. This professor should have provided some reasonable accommodation; it’s not like she was asking for an automatic A in the class.