«Yes, the Olympics are a good reason for skipping class»
When the Olympics were held in Lillhammer, three out of four Norwegian students got extra time off school – not so with the games in Pyeongchang. Lecturers disagree on what the rules should be.
Now is the season for Norwegian nationalism, and in thousands of homes, Norwegians are plastered to their TV screens in order to witness the golden medals that are flooding in. It may seem tempting to skip that seminar to witness Klæbo show off in the sprint event, but is it a valid reason to take an absence?
According to philosophy professor and Ex.phil. lecturer Jens Saugstad, the answer is a clear and resounding no.
Obedient students
So, should we all be skipping class?
«Of course not, unless you refer to actual Olympic participation, and not watching it on TV,» he wrote in a message to Universitas.
Universitas has been in touch with several lecturers, at several different educational institutions. None of them have noticed an increased number of absences due to the Olympics. Nor are there any reports of students getting distracted by the Olympics during instructions.
«I have not registered any increased absence from my students lately, no. On the contrary, it has been unusually high. None of my students have been watching the Olympics during my lessons, that I am sure of,» said Kari Sletnes, a lecturer at UiO.
Sletnes, who also teaches Ex.phil., agrees with Saugstad in that the Olympics are not a legitimate reason to not attend classes. However, she thinks her students are the kind who would rather be active in class than watch sports on a screen.
«Perhaps my students aren’t representative for the typical UiO student? My students might think Aristotle and Beauvoir to be a lot more exciting than sport,» Sletnes pondered.
Skipped out on his studies during the ‘94 Olympics
However, not everyone is as strict when it comes to absence as the Ex.phil. lecturers. Ole Petter Hjelle is a senior lecturer at Kristiania University College (Høyskolen Kristiania). He reminisced about the 1994 Olympics, and how easy it was to let his own studies slide.
«I remember when I was a student myself in 1994, and it was the Olympics in Lillehammer. I didn’t show up at too many seminars then, and I definitely thought it was a legitimate reason back then,» he told to Universitas.
Kristiania University College does not keep track of students’ attendance, and Hjelle’s opinion on the matter is pretty clear.
«Here with us, all instructions are voluntary, so I will have to say that yes, the Olympics are a good reason for skipping class,» he says, and leaves it at that.
