Attendance
Attendance Policies: Football, Basketball, and Tournament Travel
Introduction
The attendance policies are designed to provide a fair and objective measurement of a band member’s overall participation, commitment, and responsibility as a member of D.U.M.B. A multi-tiered point system has allowed for this objective approach for attendance records, and incorporates many different situations that have occurred over time. The attendance records help determine decisions concerning tournament travel eligibility, admittance into men’s home basketball games, and issues regarding course credit. As a member of this organization, all band members should carefully read these policies to understand their responsibilities from the beginning.
Online Attendance Records
All attendance records will be posted online via the main band web page, www.dukeband.org. Band members may use their Net ID login and a password to access their attendance records via this site. All band members are responsible for periodically checking their attendance records to verify their accuracy, and to report any problems to their appropriate secretary.
In addition, at certain points in the season, secretaries will send out e-mails to the band requesting that band members be sure to check their attendance records before given deadlines. Requests to change attendance records after the given deadline will NOT be granted – it is the band member’s responsibility to check their records, especially when given a deadline – no exceptions.
Point Values
Point values for each event will be determined by a combination of the time spent at the event, and the importance of having a full band present. The numbers below are the amount of time required per band member at each event, but scores have been doubled for all football and women’s basketball events.
Football practices: 4 points
Home and Away Football pre-game practice and game: 16 points
Men’s Basketball pre-game and game: 5 points
Women’s Basketball pre-game and game: 8 points
Basketball practices: 4 points
Unassigned Time
Attending any scheduled events that you are not assigned to will reward in half of the time spent for that event.
Away football games-8 points
Men’s Basketball-2.5
Women’s basketball-4
Happy Points
These will be for voluntary performances, but all events will be worth the time spent at the event.
Ex. Volleyball game- 3 points
Absences
Any excused absence will result in no penalties, and no points.
Any unexcused absence will result in a penalty of the time missed.
Ex. Football games 8 point penalty (so in essence a 24 point swing between you and those who attended)
Lateness
Any member arriving late must check in with their secretary in order to be awarded any points at all for that event.
If a member is excused for being late (or leaving early), they will receive an equal amount of points for the event, minus the time they were excused for.
Ex. One hour excused for women’s basketball game =7 points
If a member is unexcused for being late, they will receive the points for the event, minus a blanket one point penalty, and then an additional half point for every fifteen minutes late.
Ex. 35 minutes late unexcused for women’s basketball game=6 points
Unexcused/Excused
Definition: An 'unexcused penalty' is any unexcused absence (UA) or unexcused tardy (UT) that is obtained during football or basketball season at required events.
1. Excuse Procedure: All excuses, for absences or tardiness, are to be e-mailed to the appropriate secretary and to the director a minimum 3 hours before the event in order to be considered for an excuse. Any absence a member knows of in advance must be submitted as soon as possible (i.e. a wedding, family reunion, etc.) to the appropriate secretary and to the director.
Absences for home football games must be submitted at least one week before game time.
2. Illness and Injury: Sickness is a valid excuse, but the excuse must also be submitted 3 hours prior to the event. If a member repeatedly claims illness to the point the director suspects foul play, the director is free to investigate and administer penalties as he sees fit.
For home football games, sudden sickness must be reported to the director IMMEDIATELY.
3. Minimum Point Value: Registering for band includes a responsibility of attending practice twice a week and also attending football Game Days. A minimum positive point value, determined by the director and the secretaries, must be maintained in order to justify class credit, responsibility issues, and most importantly, member ejection issues. If a member does not meet the determined minimum point value he/she will be asked to leave band. If this member is taking band for class credit, a "fail" may result.
4. An unexcused tardy (UT) record is given to any member who is not in position ready to play when DUMBlock is announced on the practice field, or when the band is called to play the first number for a basketball game.
5. If a member is not wearing black shoes (totally black) or other proper uniform attire, a (2)-point deduction will result.
6. If a class conflict will result in repeated absences, the student is required to speak with the director before the season starts to determine if membership is possible.
Away football game procedure
1. All members will be assigned to ONE or TWO AWAY football games (the away UNC game, every other year, and one other game) depending on the football season schedule.
2. If a member cannot attend the away game he/she is assigned to, a switch within the instrument section will be allowed. If a member has an acceptable excuse for the game, he/she is assigned an exemption for that game, but the member must attend the other scheduled away game or a permanent point deduction will result.
3. Make-up points for a missed away game can be obtained for Excused Absences only by attending the other away game the band travels to.
BASKETBALL SEASON POLICIES
Attendance records during basketball season include all required rehearsals, men's and women's basketball games, information meetings, and tournament travel. Specific point values for games an/or rehearsals are assigned depending on if a band member is present, tardy, or absent.
1. The Band will be broken into different bands, each assigned to play at an equal amount of men’s and women’s basketball games. Attendance for assigned (as per Pep Band) men's games is mandatory.
2. WHEN TO BE IN THE STANDS, READY TO PLAY: All band members must be ready to play in the band section 2-hours before men’s game time and forty five minutes before women’s games, unless otherwise notified. Percussionists must allow time to set up (earlier).
3. CAN'T MAKE YOUR ASSIGNED MEN’S GAME? In the event of an anticipated absence from a men’s game, there is no need to find a sub -- simply e-mail an excuse to the appropriate secretary AND the director at least 3 hours prior to the event.
CAN'T MAKE YOUR ASSIGNED WOMEN'S GAME? In the event of an anticipated absence, a member must arrange for his/her own substitute and must e-mail an excuse to the appropriate secretary and the director along with the name of the substitute. The substitute must be someone from the same instrument section, and preferably, should be playing the same part. If two people are switching assigned games, notice must be given to secretaries 48 hours in advance in order for both members to receive the full 8 points. If one member is merely substituting for another, only 4 points will be given.
4. Most games (like Duke vs. Hicksville State) all can come. However, if the director feels full attendance at ACC games and other "big" games is spatially impossible, eligibility will be determined by a set cutoff point level (TBA). Members are responsible for keeping track of their cumulative point totals and the cutoff point levels through the online attendance records.
5. The Duke vs. Carolina cutoff point level will be slightly higher than for normal games (TBA).
Men's Carolina Game Regulation and Eligibility
In order to attend the Men's Carolina basketball game with the band, you must have shown the following:
1. Must have played in at least four (4) women's home games.
2. Must have attained the point cutoff level (cutoff level value TBA).
3. Band members will receive advance warning if they need to attend extra games/events to pass the point cutoff.
4. Must have no more than five (5) total 'unexcused penalties.' (see below).
5. Must NOT have any unexcused absences (UA) from home or away football games.
Men's and Women's NCAA and ACC Tournament Selection Eligibility
In order to be eligible for tournament selection you must have completed the following requirements, regardless of seniority:
1. Have attended at least four (4) Women's home basketball games with the band.
2. Have not received more than five(5) 'unexcused penalties' up to the point of tournament selection.
3. Have completed the online tournament selection registration form.
4. Have attained the point cutoff level (cutoff level value TBA).
5. Have attended at least two (2) scheduled pep band rehearsals.
6. Have attended the scheduled Tournament Information Meeting.
Forfeiture of a tournament bid may result if requirements are not met after receiving the bid – such as accumulation of more penalties to result in 8 or more unexcused penalties.
Other Very Important Things
1. Tournament selection is decided in a meeting between the director, band president, head drum major, and secretaries. Each section will be ranked based on points. Seniority is an important factor in selection; upperclassmen will receive 30 points for each fall semester of previous service, and 20 points for each spring. So, in order for a freshman to over-take a sophomore, the freshman would be required to accumulate 50 more hours over the course of the year than that sophomore. To overtake a junior, it would be 100. This does not mean that all freshmen stand no chance of good travel bids, often members of sections request not to travel to certain tournaments for scheduling conflicts.
2. Every other year, the Women's ACC Tournament coincides with the home men's UNC basketball game. Since a senior member should not have to miss his/her last men's Duke vs. UNC home game, members will be selected to go to the Women's ACC Tournament based first on who wants to go to the tournament, freshman eligibility, and finally upperclassmen who have not put in their time at women's tournaments. Any member asked to attend the Women's ACC Tournament who does not accept will not be allowed into the men's Duke vs. UNC home game with the band.
2. All students who have attended any ACC or NCAA tournament games, whether at home or away, must take part in the post-tournament Alumni Reunion day parade, or be fined $100.00 on their bursar’s account. This is an understood condition of attending tournament.
3. All students will receive points for on an audition with the director based on their instrument ability. The proficiency score will be 5, 10, or 15 points, upon the director’s discretion. This point value will give excellent players a slight edge in tournament travel.
4. Study abroad students will receive the same number of points they would have been assumed to acquire for the time they had missed. If you study abroad in the fall, your fall score will be determined by taking the percentile in which your fall score fell in the years prior to your time abroad, and determining where that percentile falls in the fall that was missed. Therefore, students who study abroad are not heavily penalized for tournament travel if they have been very committed to band in the past.
5. Students who are holding an officer position also receive added points for their extra commitment to band.
President/ Drum Majors: 30
Vice Presidents/ Secretaries/ Treasurers: 25
Section Leaders/all other unpaid positions: 20
Uniform Managers/Instrument Managers/Librarians: 10
Anyone who holds two positions will be rewarded only for the higher value.
6. The NCAA tournament travel band may only consist of 29 members. How to distribute those 29 members for ideal sound while evenly distributing the amount of travel bids to all sections will be decided by the director whose ideal distribution keeping those factors in mind will be announced during the basketball season, before the travel selection meeting.
7. Any appeals, special cases, or amendments to the point system will be dealt with on a case by case basis at officer meetings.