SU reinstates classes on three religious holidays, adds Fall Break
Classes will be reinstated on three religious holidays, and students will receive a week off for Thanksgiving beginning next semester, the university announced Wednesday.
The changes have been made in response to the expanding demographics of Syracuse University, said Thomas Wolfe, SU’s dean of student affairs.
‘We are drawing students from much farther away than we ever have, not just the Northeast,’ he said.
The extended days off for Thanksgiving — which SU officials are calling Fall Break — will allow students from outside the area to find better prices on travel arrangements and give them more travel time so they don’t have to leave the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Wolfe said. During this academic year and in previous years, Thanksgiving break started on a Wednesday.
Though other universities hold their Fall Breaks earlier than November, Wolfe said having the break near Thanksgiving fits the geographic diversity of SU. More than one quarter of the 2010-11 class came from outside the Northeast, according to an SU news release on Wednesday.
In addition to travel time, the extra days will give students time to prepare for the end of the fall semester, such as for finals or papers, Wolfe said.
The university will reinstate classes on Yom Kippur, Eid al-Fitr and Good Friday beginning the next academic year, according to the SU news release. Students who are absent due to a religious observance are allowed to make up missed exams and assignments, but they must notify professors of the absence within the first two weeks of school, according to SU’s religious observances policy.
The university collaborated with Hendricks Chapel officials to make the decision, Wolfe said.
Tiffany Steinwert, dean of Hendricks Chapel, could not be reached for comment.
Wolfe insisted SU is not taking anything away but strengthening the policy. He said the university takes students’ ability to observe religious holidays very seriously.
He said: ‘The value in this is that we want to be inclusive of all religious communities.’
Published on March 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm
