Student Council passed a resolution calling on the University to offer formal academic accommodations for students observing Ramadan, as well as explored the possibility of adding an amendment to have similar accommodations for other fasting holidays like Yom Kippur and Good Friday. Additionally, Student Council heard updates on an extension of the ban on the University Guide Service’s historical tours, and Michelle Bair, director of Hoos First — a program dedicated to supporting first-generation and limited-income students at the University — shared updates on current and upcoming initiatives.
Imane Akhanous, chair of community concerns and third-year College student, sponsored the bill and drafted it with the support of the Muslim Institute for Leadership and Empowerment. She said the legislation aims to serve as a first step in securing accommodations for students observing Ramadan, a Muslim holiday aligning with the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar during which observers fast from sunrise to sunset.
According to Akhanous, the current process to obtain accommodations such as rescheduled exams or later deadlines requires students to request them directly from professors — who may decline — or apply through the Equal Opportunity office, which she said is overwhelmed with applications. She said she hopes that this legislation will offer standard guidelines that all professors would be required to follow.
”What I’m asking for is just common sense guidelines,” Akhanous said. “Maybe things like rescheduling exams, meetings or midnight deadlines.”
Second-year College Rep. Dalton Haydel proposed an amendment calling for additional accommodations for other religious holidays requiring fasting, such as Yom Kippur and Good Friday. The amendment would also replace the language of the bill that refers to “Muslims” with “University Students.” Haydel said he went to work immediately on drafting the amendment after receiving the weekly email with the upcoming meeting’s agenda because he loved it and wanted to expand it.
“When I saw this [resolution] come in earlier this week, I loved it,” Haydel said. “I wanted to include more University students on it because this is a problem for students of all these different faiths, and by including them on [the bill] I think it establishes a larger coalition that makes it easier to negotiate with the University”
Seconding Haydel’s amendment, second-year College Rep. Ian Travis said that it is essential for Student Council to address other religious fasting days in the resolution, lest it be accused of being biased towards a particular faith or fail to account for a wide range of religious students and their needs.
“We have a very diverse university, and … this could allow for further legislation to help those other fasting holidays. So I think it's good legislation just ensuring that everyone's on parity and ensuring that all your community and students get religious accommodations on their fasting holidays,” Travis said.
After Haydel presented his initial amendment, Akhanous asked a clarifying question about whether it would make more sense to request a day off on Yom Kippur or Good Friday, as those are only individual days of fasting, whereas Ramadan is a month-long observation.
Haydel responded by saying he does not think the legislation should be separated, as it still might leave a lot of discretion towards professors on what they choose their academic guidelines to be on each holiday.
Second-year College Rep. Cody Scarce expressed concerns about broadening the amendment’s religious language, noting that the bill was originally intended to support MILE. Scarce said that drafting a separate bill to address additional holidays would be more effective than merging them into the current one.
Valentina Mendoza Gonzalez, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, agreed, emphasizing that while it is important to consider other religious communities, adding this amendment could detract from the bill’s original purpose of supporting Muslim students.
Part of Scarce’s concerns included hindering the lobbying process by complicating the bill, and he questioned whether Haydel had consulted Jewish or Christian organizations. Haydel answered that he had spoken with Christian groups on Grounds, including Chi Alpha.
Brian Ng, chair of external affairs and second-year College student, and Akhanous both expressed concerns about the lack of communication with the coalition that initially supported the bill. Akhanous said it was disrespectful to propose changes without consulting the bill’s sponsors and that University administrators would find it more difficult to implement the accommodations requested by a broader bill.
Ultimately, five representatives supported the amendment, 12 opposed it and one abstained. After rejecting the amendment, the Council proceeded to pass the original bill nearly unanimously.
During the Public Comment section, Scarce told Student Council that the suspension of University Guide’s historical tours is now extended until next fall, and that the University has not given a date about when academic tours will be resumed. Scarce encouraged Student Council to be aware of the status of the Guide Service and stay updated on the matter.
“I just want to make everyone aware of what's going on and make sure you stay informed on what's happening with the administration and Guides,” Scare said. “Student Council is a special status organization, and I think that we need to make sure that we're protecting our self governance by the way that we handle [this].” Scarce did not elaborate further on the matter.
Also during the Public Comment section of the meeting, Travis updated Student Council on his work with the University Transit Service, announcing that security cameras will be added on buses to enhance safety. Although a Contracted Independent Organization approval bill was anticipated this week, Ryan Bowers, vice president of organizations and fourth-year Commerce student, stated they are awaiting approval from Student Engagements and expect to have an organization bill by the next general body meeting.
The general body also heard from Bair as part of its guest speakers series during its Tuesday meeting. Bair spoke about the new Hoos First initiative on Grounds and what the program has to offer to first generation and limited-income University students. She said the goal of Hoos First is to empower, support and advocate for students who historically may find difficulty navigating the college process, and they have a network of services and resources available at the University, such as personal well-being, social engagement and career development.
In her speech, Bair highlighted one of Hoos First's key initiatives — the Cavalier Fund, which is supported by University alumni and designed to assist limited-income students in co-curricular activities, provides up to $1,000 per academic year for undergraduate students. While currently limited to undergraduates, Bair said her team is working on expanding the program to include graduate students.
Bair also said that Hoos First is working toward a $100 million fundraising goal over the next few years, making it one of University President Jim Ryan’s top three fundraising priorities this year.
“I believe within the next six years, we're looking at trying to get close to $100 million in the [Cavalier Fund] to be able to support this on an ongoing basis and keep it an active University,” Bair said. “So it's definitely one of President Ryan's top three fundraising priorities … they're actively out there fundraising and getting the funds to support this.”
According to Bair, future goals for Hoos First include expanding social and community engagement opportunities, launching a Hoos First peer mentoring program and establishing a Hoos First faculty and staff advisory board. All of these initiatives are currently in development, and Bair hopes to launch them soon.
Bair also announced that this week marks the start of the first-ever Hoos First Celebration Week, with Friday dedicated to celebrating first-generation college students. Several other events have been planned, including a bingo night Monday and an election watch party Tuesday.
Student Council will not hold a meeting Tuesday due to Election Day but will reconvene the following week Nov. 12.
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