Sitting in a 9:30 a.m. class.

Five minutes go by.

Now 9:40, 10 minutes have gone by. Your professor has yet to arrive in the classroom. You and your fellow classmates continue to wait.

Five more minutes go by, and still no professor has walked through the door.

Students start checking their phones, getting on Twitter, texting their friends and wondering why they didn’t just stay in bed this morning.

It’s now 9:55 and no professor has arrived, so students become frustrated and leave.

10 a.m. arrives, clearly running late, the professor walks into his class with four or five students remaining.

There have been many students who have been in this position and some have started complaining about professors showing up to class at an unacceptable time. Some students are under the impression that after five minutes they are allowed to leave the classroom, calling this the five-minute rule. However, Baker does not have a formal policy that gives students a specific length of time that they should wait for their professor before leaving class.

“I don’t think its right for students to have to wait if professors are not there in class,” senior Amanda Ciambrone said. “I think it’s pointless to have class after a certain amount of time, no matter what the rule is.”

There is a time-honored tradition that has been passed down through college students dealing with what to do when a professor runs late. It may vary from university to university, but the general idea is after a certain amount of time waiting for a professor to show up for class, students can leave without consequences.

“If there is a rule everyone should know it,” Ciambrone said. “I (would) rather know the rule if there is one or have one established for students so they know what guidelines to follow so they are not penalized.”

Both Assistant Professor of Psychology Robyn Long and Assistant Professor of History John Richards said that they were never aware of any policy at Baker that establishes how long students should wait if a professor is late for class. Both professors understand the idea of human error and that certain circumstances can keep a student or professor from being able to attend class.

Brian Posler, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college of arts and sciences, has specific expectations for both students and faculty when it comes to attendance in class.

“As the dean, my expectation is that faculty should either be in class on time or if something comes up to where they have to be absent, communicate with the students enough in advanced so the students know the class is canceled,” Posler said.

Posler established that there is no formal policy. If professors do not show up on time, he encourages students to inquire after the first 10 or 15 minutes.

“Have someone call the office of the faculty member, or call the main office of the department,” Posler said.

Faculty members are expected to hold their classes and show up on time. If students are having a different experience with a professor on multiple occasions, then students should contact Baker administrators.