Gary wrote:
> Actually that is not true. Religion is a right. We are obligated to allow
> all of our students exercise that right. More importantly, that's
> the right thing to do.
The exercise of religion IS a right--and one that I would rather strongly
defend. But with rights come responsibilities. If a student knows that s/he
will have to miss classes due to religious observances that are not part of
the standard school schedule (as are Easter, Christmas, etc.), s/he has a
responsibility to make arrangements to make up ALL work missed--or must
accept the consequences of not doing so if it isn't permitted by policy. It
isn't up to an instructor to set policy in this area, it's up to the
administration--and THAT is where the student should direct his/her request
for time off.
I have students who are members of non-traditional religions such as Wicca,
etc. Should I allow them to take days off for Sabbat and Esbat celebrations
that are not available to my other students? Or should I expect them to
either attend class those days or suffer the consequences in terms of missed
quizzes or activities? If I _do_ allow them to take off, how do I justify
NOT allowing others to do the same?
In my classes, students are permitted to miss 4 classes per term w/o any
loss of points (in addition, any medical or emergency situation is not
counted against them, of course) and I drop the lowest of my five quizzes.
They are also allowed to turn in essays, project reports, and term papers
early and I am willing to administer an alternate final the week BEFORE the
actual final to students who need to finish a week early (not during class
time, of course) for academic or personal reasons. That's PLENTY of leeway
for a student with a religious obligation. If s/he needs more time off than
that, s/he has no business registering for a class in the first place--since
s/he won't be present often enough to learn what is required of him/her or
to contribute to the class itself.
> Although I hated the Dodgers for leaving Brooklyn I always
> respected them because they did not question Sandy Kaufax when he
> would not pitch on Yom Kippur.
That's a workplace example in which he was in a powerful enough position to
exercise that demand. Consider this: Since he was Jewish, why was he
pitching on the Sabbath in the first place? By your own argument above, he
should not have been expected to pitch on Saturdays at all, since his
religion teaches that it is a day of rest.
> When I was working outside of academia there was never a
> question about my taking time off for religious obligations.
Time, I'm sure, which you made up later.
Would the same have held true if you were in a lower-level position? Can
you, for example, imagine a grocery store allowing its clerks to take off
for Buddha's Birthday (for that matter--does anyone on the list even know
when Buddha's birthday IS celebrated? :-) or for Beltane?
> Whatever work was scheduled for those days students could
> not attend because of a religious obligation is still the
> responsibility of the student.
But this was precisely the point that Stephen was asking about. He stated
that the student in question wanted to be excused for both Christian and
Jewish holidays--and made no indication at all that the student would be
making up the work!
In the message you are responding to, I stated:
===================
If he is willing to do the work on the Christian holidays instead, that
shouldn't be a problem. If not, there is no reason he should receive special
treatment.
===================
To me, that seems a reasonable accommodation. If a student is NOT
Christian, then there is no reason why s/he can't use Christian holidays to
do work that couldn't be done on the holidays of his/her own religion. If
not, then it is the unwillingness of the student to "pull his/her share"
that is causing the problem, not policy.
> We just have to make allowances for their completing the work in a
> reasonable time.
Why?
Maybe that sounds ridiculous, but I don't think it does.
Religion is a matter of personal choice and commitment. If the student is
sincere in his/her convictions then s/he will find a way to work around
attendance requirements--particularly if the instructor sets reasonable
requirements, which most of us do.
It isn't my job to either support or oppose religion--I don't teach in a
school funded by a church, I teach in public ones only. Just as I don't
expect a church to tell a student it's "ok" to commit a small sin to meet my
class requirements, I don't tell a student that it's "ok" to skip some of my
requirements to meet those of his/her church. I _firmly_ believe in the
separation of church and state; I teach social science courses not theology
and my interest is in preparing my students in those areas. What they do to
prepare themselves religiously is their concern, not mine.
Rick Adams
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Rick Adams
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Social Sciences
Jackson Community College
2111 Emmons Rd.
Jackson, MI 49201
