Where to caucus Information about Colorado’s March 1 neighborhood precinct caucuses can be found on county and state Democratic and Republican websites, including: Boulder County Democratic Party: bocodems.org Boulder County Republicans: bocogop.org Colorado Democratic Party: coloradodems.org Colorado Republican Party: cologop.org

The University of Colorado’s chemistry department is excusing students from a midterm exam Tuesday night so they can attend caucuses — but they most prove their attendance with a selfie.

Introductory courses for chemistry — and other subjects such as physics and math — have such huge enrollments that, in order to find rooms large enough, instructors must schedule exams in the evenings and sometimes as far as a year in advance.

Roughly 1,200 students are scheduled to take a general chemistry test on Tuesday at the same time as Colorado’s caucuses, which begin at 7 p.m.

While both parties are holding caucuses in Colorado on Tuesday night, the Republicans are not conducting a presidential preference poll.

On the Democratic side, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have been working to earn the youth vote in Colorado. This week, volunteers for both camps could be seen flagging down students inside the University Memorial Center to explain the caucus process and discuss their candidates’ views.

Students brought this conflict to the attention of Carl Koval, chemistry department chair, about a week ago.

He started brainstorming ways to accommodate those students and instructors who wanted to participate in the political process.

Canceling and rescheduling the exam wasn’t an option, as that decision would be a logistical nightmare.

He came up with a compromise.

If students approach their professor or instructor in advance, they can get an excused absence for the exam. That doesn’t mean they will get to take a make-up test, but will instead have their final exam grade weighted more heavily to make up for the absence, Koval said.

Typically, exam absences are excused for circumstances such as religious holidays, a death in the family or a medical issue.

Students must provide some documentation — like a doctor’s note — to be excused.

“Normally this has not applied to political activity, so this is sort of a new one,” said Koval, who has worked on the Boulder campus since 1980. “I’ve never seen this before. It caught everybody by surprise.”

But what to do about the requirement for proof?

Koval decided to use a format undergraduates are very familiar with.

“I suggested that they take a selfie,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Teaching assistants who are supposed to be administering the exam but want to attend a caucus are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Koval said. Some instructors are allowing teaching assistants to find a replacement.

Russ Moore, CU’s provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, sent a note to the campus this week encouraging “reasonable” accommodations for students, faculty and staff who want to attend the caucuses.

“Participation in the political process is an important responsibility of an engaged citizenry,” he wrote.

With a proposal set to go before the CU Student Government Thursday night, students are calling for all non-emergency related campus events to end by at least 5 p.m. Tuesday. The resolution is co-sponsored by the executive director of “Buffs for Bernie,” the CU student group in support of Sanders.

Sarah Kuta: 303-473-1106, kutas@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta