Religious Holidays

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Dickinson College is fully committed to tolerance, understanding and support of the diverse faith traditions to which members of our community adhere. While classes will still be held, the administration and faculty will make every effort not to schedule College-wide and/or public events on major religious holidays. The traditional calendar already recognizes many major Christian holidays. In addition, the college calendar will also include Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, the first evening of Passover, Eid-al-Fitr, and Eid-al-Adha. Notations will be made on the CASE calendar to designate the official beginning and ending times of these and other major religions’ holidays. Students of any faith who observe these religious holidays or others that typically restrict their participation in regular activities may also be excused from academic, athletic, and other responsibilities on those days by following the guidelines in the policy below.

The college (offices and departments) will not schedule public and/or college-wide events on the following major religious holidays: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, the first night of Passover, Eid-al-Fitr, and Eid-al-Adha. The college calendar already excludes events on Christmas and Easter. Students must make arrangements with their faculty members in advance when an exam (including quizzes), papers, and other work are due on major religious holidays. A student will not be penalized for missing class or not handing in work on a holiday due to religious observance. However, students must notify faculty, in writing, reasonably in advance of the holiday if they will be absent from class for religious observance. Likewise, students who observe these holidays must notify, in advance, their coaches should they have athletic practice or scheduled competition at a time of religious observance. While faculty and staff are expected to be sensitive to the needs of observant students of all faiths when planning lectures, field trips, work and other curricular activity that might conflict with observance of a major religious holiday, any course work or other obligation that is missed remains the student’s responsibility to complete. Faculty members are expected to make reasonable arrangements for students to complete missed work; students must make up the work.