Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 25, 1994 TAG: 9412270110
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B7 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Jewish and Muslim students say a policy would help them work with their professors to make up missed classes and prevent the college from scheduling campus events during religious holidays.
The college last year held Parents Weekend over Yom Kippur. Jewish sophomore Dara Schulman said her parents didn't think it was right to visit the college during the holiday and she felt obligated to skip some of the student events.
College President Tim Sullivan has pledged that scheduling Parents Weekend over Yom Kippur is the kind of mistake the college won't make again, said Sam Sadler, dean of students. The college now consults the Orthodox Jewish calendar before scheduling campus events, he said.
However, there is no policy regarding religious holidays, Sadler said. If students see a conflict between a holiday and an exam or test, they must make individual arrangements with their professors.
``Most often, faculty members are understanding about that,'' he said.
Emily Saks, a past president of the student Interfaith Council, agreed. She said she knows of no students who have not been allowed to make up a test after a religious holiday. Still, a policy would be helpful, she said.
``We want this to be more of a guideline to let professors know when major holidays occur,'' said Saks, a junior. ``It's also important to me that the college become aware of holidays of religions that are not in the majority here.''
``We're allowed to make up the work, but sometimes it still causes some problems,'' Schulman said, ``... and it's an inconvenience that shouldn't be there, because they should respect the holidays.''
A policy proposed this fall by the Interfaith Council would not excuse students from work due on religious holidays. Rather, it would require students to notify professors of the holidays in advance and would give them the opportunity to make up the work.
``The policy really governs the relationship between the faculty and the student,'' Saks said. ``But the responsibility is on the students, because they're the ones missing class.''
The proposal included a preliminary list of religious holidays that would be governed under the policy. It includes Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and the Muslim festivals of First Eid and Second Eid, which take place in the spring.
A list of holidays would be helpful to faculty, Sadler said. ``As we become more diverse, the traditions become more diverse,'' he said.
There are about 20 Muslim students at William and Mary, said Azra Ali of the Muslim Student Association. The faculty is pretty good about dealing with religious holidays, Ali said, but most Muslim students think it would help to have a policy anyway.
``It makes it more official that we can take off,'' said Ali, a freshman.
Faculty Assembly Chairwoman Lynda Butler has asked a committee to work over the details of the council's proposed policy.
``Many students don't know where to go if they have a conflict between their religious observance and some sort of academic requirement,'' said Butler, a law professor. ``Adopting some policy would demonstrate an attitude of religious tolerance.''
by CNB