CUNY wisely added religious holidays
One of the proudest moments I’ve had as a student at the City University of New York came on Feb. 13 of this year, when the university’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a measure to add four religious holidays to the university’s official academic calendar, including the start and end of Ramadan.
The policy marked the culmination of a lot of hard work by student leaders across our 25 campuses. As the chairperson of the University Student Senate and an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees, I participated in the campaign to win this policy change.
Before the resolution’s approval, I made the motion to bring it to a vote, and I was the first trustee to vote for it. I later enjoyed the privilege of a very good seat from which to cheer the accomplishment, joined by many fellow students who took part in the effort.
When the policy change takes effect for the next academic year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Lunar New Year and Diwali all will be formally recognized holidays; classes will not be held, and religiously observant Muslims and Hindus will no longer be limited to requesting a religious accommodation, the insufficient remedy to scheduling conflicts under current law.
Now, there won’t be a second thought as to how those days will be spent.
As universities and school districts across the country continue to debate which holidays warrant designation for official observance, I hope that administrators are keeping in mind the tremendous difference this makes for college community members who celebrate these religious holy days and cultural festivals.
In the absence of an official designation, things can unfortunately be more complicated than they should. New York State law has long guaranteed that students who need to be absent from school for religious observance will get an equal opportunity to make up any missed coursework. While well-intentioned, this still means that many students have to endure a laborious process to make sure they do not fall behind.
Making up missed classwork means finding time outside of a student’s set schedule to catch up on the material or take an exam, even as the rest of the students have moved on. This means added pressure that can last for days or even weeks after the holiday, and it’s hard not to think about those concerns while you are celebrating and observing.
As a practicing Muslim, I know the significance of dedicating the time to celebrate one of the most joyous days of the year for my people. But there is a burden of having to decide between taking my classes the way that they were intended and having to figure out an alternative, which makes the moment harder to appreciate.
This is especially notable at CUNY, with its rich diversity and unique ability to serve all New Yorkers no matter their background. In a city that’s often described as a melting pot, it’s no surprise that we welcome people who observe the full range of religions. All of these students deserve to have the freedom to easily honor their heritage, their religion and their traditions without the burden of interruptions it can pose in their studies.
When I took on the responsibility of serving as chairperson of the University Student Senate, I made it a priority to ensure that my fellow students would no longer have to make that decision. Together with my partners in student government across 25 campuses, we spent the last few years tirelessly advocating for change to have more holidays added to the academic calendar. Our voices were heard.
I take special pride in the impact we demonstrated, of the change that can be won when students work together and advocate for their needs. We used our seat at the table to make clear to our leaders the challenges we were experiencing when trying to honor and observe our traditions. We drove home the point that change was necessary if we wanted more students to feel respected, appreciated and equal.
This action counts as a major step toward true equity — one that I hope to see become a continuing trend in higher education. Even if you do not have a connection to these four religious holidays, I hope their official designation helps you to appreciate their significance, and how much their celebration can matter to all those who do.
Dombouya is a senior at New York City College of Technology, serving as both the student representative on the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York and chairperson of the CUNY University Student Senate.