WITH EASTER observance last weekend, I was rather surprised by the number of acquaintances and friends who stayed on Grounds. As one of those students, I found myself longing for the comfortable surroundings of my home church, a big family meal and a jelly bean hunt involving several overly excited children. Instead, I was at the University surrounded by activities and homework, finding time only to go to my local church for service and to enjoy a friendly potluck.
While my Easter observance this year was not awful, it was incomplete. I would've preferred the option, for myself and for fellow students, to travel. Since Easter-Passover weekend is one of the biggest observances for the many Christians and Jews on Grounds, the University should be more accommodating with regard to exemption from classes. This policy should, of course, be expanded to include observances for students of all religious faiths.
Recently, when a friend of mine asked her dean for the policy on religious exemptions, she was told that there is no official University policy and to work it out with her individual instructors. She was forced to contact her professors and teaching assistants individually, prove her religious fervor to each and, in one case, was told that she would be counted with an unexcused absence. All this hassle could be solved with a policy that would allow her to hand a note to her instructors stating that she has religious exemption from classes on a given day.
Requiring students to attend class on a religious holiday is an undue burden. Luckily, this is a resolvable and a simple issue. Either a student's dean should be made available to hear petitions or alternatively professors should state on their syllabi that they welcome serious petitions for exemption from classes held on religious holidays.
When I inquired about an official policy on religious exemption at the University, Sidney Milkis, chair of the Politics Department said, "I don't know of any official policy.Most faculty respect students' commitment to religious observances and accommodate for missing class." I'm sure that most faculty do. Yet the University should standardize this commitment to accommodate students and ensure that all -- not most -- faculty members respect religious observances. No matter what has been scheduled for a class period that falls on a religious holiday, be it a test, paper, quiz or discussion, a University student should be assured that he or she will be able to miss class without penalty.
Furthermore, religious exemptions should be granted for religious holidays that fall on a weekend for those students who must travel large distances in order that they might be home for more than 12 hours. Many students who live outside Virginia are in effect barred from going home and worshiping with their families when they are faced with unexcused absences in classes.
Even for those who cannot or do not travel, offering no religious exemption can bar students from worshiping in the way they see fit. As a Christian myself, I was discouraged from attending a Good Friday service because I had class and work all day long. And about 40 days ago, on Ash Wednesday, I had a class that conflicted with the morning services. Yes, it is true, I could have contacted each of my professors and my boss, but this route does not guarantee an exemption in a case where it is warranted.
By neglecting to allow religious exemptions, the University unconsciously projects the attitude that serious religious observance is inconvenient. When, in fact, for students with commitments to religious observance, class is the inconvenience. It is unthinkable that a public school should grant a holiday for every religious observance that falls on a school day or cancel classes on days surrounding a religious weekend. Instead, I advocate that the University formulate policy that would give students a clear route for obtaining a religious exemption by making University deans the final say and having their word apply to all classes.
It will of course be countered that a policy allowing religious exemption for students will be an open gate for abuse. Yet, I hope that the administration and instructors trust us enough, and more importantly, that we trust ourselves enough, to be honest about our commitments. Allowing for religious exemption, rightly enacted and followed, will be a great sign of respect for those who are committed to their faith. We as a community should value this prospect enough to take religious exemption seriously.
The current treatment of religious exemption by the University is at best unaccommodating and at worst intolerant. Ultimately, the University should respect the needs of the religiously minded and that means paying more than lip service to a student's right to freely worship. It means giving student's the opportunity to worship if they so desire.
Christa Byker's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at cbyker@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 4 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
