The last time the Faculty Senate convened to discuss and decide the structure of the student academic calendar was in 1976. It was then that the skeleton of what became our school year was formed: the panel of faculty from both AU and the Washington College of Law dealt with questions regarding exam scheduling, winter and summer break timing, and the policies governing religious holidays. Those policies, still in place today, treat observers of all religions equally poorly.
Currently, a student may miss class for any religious holiday listed in the student handbook with no repercussion to the student's grade.
But there's still a repercussion inherent in that the student will miss a class. Because these students choose to practice their religion, they are unfairly penalized and made to choose between some two integral priorities - education and religion. These priorities shouldn't be made to be mutually exclusive. Some professors even cancel class - those who don't often end up with extremely small classes and find themselves altering their syllabi anyway. While it is impossible to acknowledge every religious holiday, there are surely some more commonly practiced than others, based on our student body's make-up and how a religion prioritizes its holidays.
AU should also reconsider its stance on holding class on Election Day. The current academic calendar closes the university on Inauguration Day - a prudent decision given the inevitable traffic concerns - but not Election Day. Given AU's reputation for political activity and the pride its students take in being politically conscious, the university should encourage further community involvement and interaction in the future by closing on Election Day. Having classes that day prohibits students from working the polls, canvassing one last time for their candidate, or even help bring elderly voters to the polls.
Each of these activities would benefit the AU administration, AU's students, and the surrounding community by enhancing the AU label by advertising its location and active student body.
AU needs to take advantage of every opportunity it has to attract new students. The university supports and encourages students to take internships in the city, but on Election Day - when there are infinite opportunities to take part in this country's most important civic duty - students find themselves limited in their participation by because they have to attend classes.
Regardless of whether AU changes the academic calendar to better accommodate religious students, which would affect the university schedule every year, presidential elections only happen once every four years. That surely isn't an unreasonable request.
