Students at UB got a brief break last week when classes were cancelled for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but while many enjoyed the time off, others questioned why classes are cancelled for certain religious holidays and not for federal holidays, like Columbus Day.
Or for that matter, why UB doesn't halt classes for many other religious holidays, such as Good Friday in the spring semester.
John Wu, a senior international social studies major, said he's not happy with which holidays UB decides to acknowledge.
"It's messed up that UB only caters to Jewish and Christian holidays, while ignoring other ethnic holidays like the Chinese New Year on Feb. 12," he said.
Tam Tran, a senior accounting major, believes if UB celebrates religious holidays, it should do the same for calendar holidays.
"We should get off federal holidays," Tran said. "I mean it's nice the holidays we do get off, but we don't get off some that other people do."
According to UB officials, holidays are allotted based on the academic calendar, as opposed to the federal, Jewish, and Christian calendars. The Jewish holidays that are established have been so for decades and are still carried on as a tradition.
"(Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were made to) accommodate and recognize the Jewish students at UB," said Michael Ryan, dean of undergraduate studies.
The holidays for which UB cancels classes also depends greatly on the state-mandated minimum number of classes that needs to be met, along with a minimum number of instructional hours, according to Ryan.
If UB were to add more holidays to the academic calendar, said Dennis Black, vice president for Student Affairs, options would include either starting the school year earlier or end later, which would interfere with the final exam schedule,
The UB calendar attempts to balance religious, government and academic significance as best as it can, Black said.
"The UB calendar is designed to first meet academic needs and next, state education law requirements," Black said. "Next, it seeks to accommodate appropriate breaks and holidays, giving consideration to some major religious and public celebrations, such as the Jewish holidays in the fall and Easter in the spring as well as Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Christmas and New Year's Day."
The provost's office maps out the current academic calendar years in advance, so any changes to the calendar - like adding holidays and days off - will take a while to affect students, Black said. This advanced planning also means that students are well aware of what holidays UB schedules before they enroll in the university.
"If it does not meet their needs, they have other school options," Black said. "No calendar can accommodate all of the interests and needs of all students, faculty and staff."
Since there's a set number of days that schools must hold class, it's hard to meet every student and faculty member's needs, and it's at the school's discretion as to which days they will cancel classes. For example, Buffalo State College and Niagara University cancel classes for Columbus Day but not for Rosh Hashanah. And even though classes are cancelled on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, UB faculty members are still expected to work - unless, of course, this contradicts their religious beliefs.
UB does its best to accommodate the diverse student population when it comes to holidays, Ryan said.
"There are people that feel that their accommodations are not being met, but there are only small complaints and concerns," Ryan said.
