Religious Holidays on the Academic Calendar Issue
Background: A
resolution was brought to the Senate floor (at the November 2008 meeting) that
two Islamic holidays (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) also be listed on the
University Academic Calendar (currently there are four religious holidays
listed - Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday although Passover
and Good Friday are not listed on the Spring 2011 calendar at this time).
The Committee on Diversity and Affirmative Action issued a report dated
(3/25/2009) that had recommendations to remove the listing of ANY religious
holidays on the Academic Calendar and instead place them in a separate table at
the bottom of the calendar with a link to an interfaith calendar. Wording
in the UD Catalog and the Faculty Handbook would also need to be changed so
that ANY religious holiday would be treated the same as athletic absences. (The
document from this committee is included at the end of this document).
Undergraduate Studies (UGS) considered the resolution and the report from the Committee on Diversity and Affirmative Action in the spring of 2010 and rejected both. With the reasoning that the Muslim population was very small on the campus, and that following wording in the UD Faculty Handbook and in the UD Catalog, an absence, as a result of worship of these holidays, would be considered excused.
Suggested action by Executive Committee: Remove the listing of religious holidays from the Academic Calendar. Modify the wording in the Faculty Handbook to read:
It is the policy of the University of Delaware not to
cancel classes on religious holidays. However, students and faculty are
encouraged to exercise their own judgment pertaining to their attendance on
these days. Absences on religious
holidays, as well as absences due to athletic participation or other
extracurricular activities in which students are official representatives of
the University, shall be recognized as excused absences when the student
informs the instructor in writing during the first two weeks of the semester of
these planned absences for the semester. Absences due to similar events which
could not have been anticipated earlier in the semester will be recognized as
excused absences upon advance notification of the instructor by an appropriate
faculty adviser or athletic coach.
Current Policy in Faculty Handbook:
Under Student Class Attendance and Excused
Absences
It is the policy of the University
of Delaware not to cancel classes on religious holidays. However, students and
faculty are encouraged to exercise their own judgment pertaining to their
attendance on these days. In addition, faculty are encouraged not to
schedule examinations or require the submission of special assignments on the
following days: the evening before as well as the first two days of Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the fall term, Good Friday and the evenings before
and the first two days of Passover in the spring semester. To facilitate
planning for the potentially large number of absences on these days the
University shall include the dates of these holidays in the academic calendar.
Adjacent to each of these dates the academic calendar will include a reminder
to consult the University policy on excused absences.
Absences on religious holidays
listed in University calendars is recognized as an excused absence.
Nevertheless, students are urged to remind the instructor of their intention to
be absent on a particular upcoming holiday.
Absences on religious holidays not
listed in University calendars, as well as absences due to athletic
participation or other extracurricular activities in which students are
official representatives of the University, shall be recognized as excused
absences when the student informs the instructor in writing during the first
two weeks of the semester of these planned absences for the semester. Absences
due to similar events which could not have been anticipated earlier in the
semester will be recognized as excused absences upon advance notification of
the instructor by an appropriate faculty adviser or athletic coach.
Schedules of some Religious Holidays:
2010
Passover - Monday, Mar. 29th
begins at sunset; continues next seven days
Good Friday Apr. 2nd
Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 8th begins at sunset; continues next two days
Eid al-Fitr (in North America) Thursday, Sept. 9th begins at sunset; continues next three days
Yom Kippur Friday, Sept. 17th begins at sunset continues next day
Eid al-Adha (in North America) Tuesday, Nov. 16th begins at sunset; continues next day
2011
Passover - Monday, Apr. 18th
begins at sunset; continues next seven days
Good Friday Apr. 22nd
Eid al-Fitr (in North America) Monday, Aug. 29th begins at sunset; continues next three days
Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 28th begins at sunset; continues next two days
Yom Kippur Friday, Oct. 7th begins at sunset continues next day
Eid al-Adha (in North America) Sunday, Nov. 6th begins at sunset; continues next day
2012
Passover - Friday, Apr. 6th
begins at sunset; continues next seven days
Good Friday Apr. 6th
Eid al-Fitr (in North America, not based on sightability) Saturday, Aug. 18th begins at sunset; continues next three days
Rosh Hashanah Sunday, Sept. 16th begins at sunset; continues next two days
Yom Kippur Tuesday, Sept. 25th begins at sunset continues next day
Eid al-Adha Thursday, Oct. 25th
begins at sunset; continues next day
2013
Passover - Friday, Mar. 25th
begins at sunset; continues next seven days
Good Friday Mar. 29th
Eid al-Fitr (in North America) Thursday, Aug. 8th begins at sunset; continues next three days
Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 4th begins at sunset; continues next two days
Yom Kippur Friday, Sept. 13th begins at sunset continues next day
Eid al-Adha (in North America) Tuesday, Oct. 15th begins at sunset; continues next day
Report from Committee on Diversity and Affirmative Action:
From: "Shangyou Scott Zhang" <szhang@UDel.Edu>
To: "Karren Helsel-Spry" <karren@UDel.Edu>
Cc: <szhang@UDel.Edu>
Dear Karren,
Enclosed is a committee report. Please forward it to the Executive
Committee of Senate. Thanks.
Scott
------------------
Report on listing religious holidays on the UD Academic Calendar
(3/25/2009)
By the Committee on Diversity and Affirmative Action
Issue: Currently, three Jewish holidays, Passover, Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and one Christian holiday, Good Friday, are listed on
the UD Academic Calendar. It was suggested to list two Islamic
holidays, Eid
al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, on the UD
Academic Calendar.
Committee finding:
In April, 1987, the Senate passed a resolution on listing four major
religious holidays on the academic calendar and UD Faculty Handbook, with the
following statement:
"To facilitate planning for the potentially large number of
absences on these days the University shall include the dates of these holidays
in the academic calendar. Adjacent to each of these dates the academic calendar
will include a reminder to consult the University policy on excused
absences."
Most colleges in USA do not list any religious holidays in their
academic calendar. Only a handful colleges list explicitly major
religious holidays while very few treat different religious holidays
differently.
Committee recommendation:
The four major holidays will be still listed in the academic
calendar, but in a separated table at the bottom of the calender, along
with a policy statement and a link to an Internet site for religious holidays,
Interfaith Calendar.
The major religious holidays will no longer be listed in the faculty
handbook. A major change on the faculty handbook is that the absense on major
religious days is no longer automatically excused, but treated the same as
athletic absense
and absenses
due to other religious holidays.
The formal recommendations are
1. Delete the four religious holidays from UD Academic Calendar.
Add a table of the current major holidays at the end
of
Academic Calendar with a statement.
Major Religious Holidays, 2008-2009
Sept 30-Oct 1
Tue-Wed Rosh
Hashanah
Oct 9
Thu
Yom Kippur
Apr 10
Fri
Good Friday
Apr 15-16
Wed-Thu
Pesach(Passover)
It is the policy of the University of Delaware not to
cancel classes on religious holidays. Faculty are encouraged not to schedule
examinations or require the submission of special assignments on major
religious holidays. See Faculty Handbook on excused absences at religious
holidays. For a complete list of religious holidays, please visit
the Interfaith Calendar: http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/
2. Revise the following portion the Faculty Handbook:
Current:
"In addition, faculty are encouraged not to
schedule examinations
or require the submission of special assignments
on the major
following days: the evening before as well as
the first two days
of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the fall
term, Good Friday and
the evenings before and the first two days of
Passover in the
spring semester.
To facilitate planning for the potentially large
number of absences
on these days the University shall include the
dates of these
holidays in the academic calendar. Adjacent to
each of these dates
the academic calendar will include a reminder to
consult the
University policy on excused absences.
Absences on religious holidays listed in
University calendars is
recognized as an excused absence. Nevertheless,
students are
urged to remind the instructor of their
intention to be absent
on a particular upcoming holiday.
Absences on religious holidays not listed in
University calendars,
as well as absences due to athletic
participation or other
extracurricular activities in which students are
official
representatives of the University, shall be
recognized as excused
absences when the student informs the instructor
in writing during
the first two weeks of the semester of these planned
absences for
the semester. Absences due to similar events
which could not have
been anticipated earlier in the semester will be
recognized as
excused absences upon advance notification of
the instructor by
an appropriate faculty adviser or athletic
coach. "
Revision:
"In addition, faculty are encouraged not to
schedule examinations
or require the submission of special assignments
on the major
religious holidays listed on the academic
calendar.
To facilitate planning for the potentially large
number of absences
on the major religious holidays the University
shall include the
dates of the major holidays in the academic
calendar. Adjacent to
the list of these dates the academic calendar
will include a
reminder to consult the University policy on
excused absences.
Absences on the major religious holidays and all
other religious
holidays, as well as absences due to athletic
participation or
other extracurricular activities in which
students are official
representatives of the University, shall be
recognized as excused
absences when the student informs the instructor
in writing during
the first two weeks of the semester of these
planned absences for
the semester. Absences due to similar events which
could not have
been anticipated earlier in the semester will be
recognized as
excused absences upon advance notification of
the instructor by
an appropriate official appointed by the
college."