Religious Holidays on the Academic Calendar Issue

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. 2^nd

Rosh Hashanah – Wednesday, Sept. 8^th begins at sunset; continues next two days

Eid al-Fitr – (in North America) Thursday, Sept. 9^th begins at sunset; continues next three days

Yom Kippur – Friday, Sept. 17^th begins at sunset continues next day

Eid al-Adha – (in North America) Tuesday, Nov. 16^th begins at sunset; continues next day

2011

Passover - Monday, Apr. 18^th begins at sunset; continues next seven days

Good Friday – Apr. 22^nd

Eid al-Fitr – (in North America) Monday, Aug. 29^th begins at sunset; continues next three days

Rosh Hashanah – Wednesday, Sept. 28^th begins at sunset; continues next two days

Yom Kippur – Friday, Oct. 7^th begins at sunset continues next day

Eid al-Adha – (in North America) Sunday, Nov. 6^th begins at sunset; continues next day

2012

Passover - Friday, Apr. 6^th begins at sunset; continues next seven days

Good Friday – Apr. 6^th

Eid al-Fitr – (in North America, not based on sightability) Saturday, Aug. 18^th begins at sunset; continues next three days

Rosh Hashanah – Sunday, Sept. 16^th begins at sunset; continues next two days

Yom Kippur – Tuesday, Sept. 25^th begins at sunset continues next day

Eid al-Adha –Thursday, Oct. 25^th begins at sunset; continues next day

2013

Passover - Friday, Mar. 25^th begins at sunset; continues next seven days

Good Friday – Mar. 29^th

Eid al-Fitr – (in North America) Thursday, Aug. 8^th begins at sunset; continues next three days

Rosh Hashanah – Wednesday, Sept. 4^th begins at sunset; continues next two days

Yom Kippur – Friday, Sept. 13^th begins at sunset continues next day

Eid al-Adha – (in North America) Tuesday, Oct. 15^th 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."