Interactions with Students

In my courses, attendance is required.  I tell this to students repeatedly and explain that we need to have commitment of the group in order to work together.  After a round of (not so friendly) emails informing students that they had failed to attend my class three or more times in 12 weeks, around ten students visited my office hours today.  Several students cried telling me their stories, including a dying grandma.  One student has been working on the day of class, and never attends. But she needs to complete the class since it is the final one that she needs for degree!  One student said she comes, but on the wrong day and never signed in since her name was not on the sheet.  But she was really there!  One student comes to class regularly, but refuses to participate by preparing some input for the group. Why?  He said that he is too busy with taking 7 other class, and already gave 4 presentations in those class.  This presentation would be "too much." 

One student said that she did not complete her written assignment because she started late and decided that she would get a zero anyway for turning it in late, so better to wordlessly not do it at all.  She thought that even if she failed the assignment, she might pass the course if she aces the exam.  Four students plagiarised parts of their assignment by copying and pasting long passages from the very articles that they were asked to summarize and critique...but none of these came to my office today.  They have been attending class!  These students will receive a separate invitation.