Officials: Rules Permit Observance

Even though the traditional Jewish day of atonement was a regular class day for most UNC-system students Monday, administrators say students should find it easy to miss class for religious reasons.

Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, passed officially unobserved at most UNC campuses.

N.C. State University did not hold classes today, but the university was closed for Columbus Day, not for Yom Kippur, said Joni Worthington, UNC-system vice president for communications.

UNC-Chapel Hill Registrar Davis Lanier said days off from class were determined by state holidays and not religious holidays.

"The state of North Carolina determines what holidays we take off," he said. "We get our instructions from human resources."

Lanier said each public institution in North Carolina must take a certain number of state holidays. Yom Kippur is not a required holiday for the state.

But UNC-CH sophomore Tovah Bayer of New York, who is Jewish, said the University should not hold classes on Yom Kippur. "I do think that we shouldn't have classes, in a way, because it's our holiest day," she said. "We aren't supposed to work, but I have an exam in math soon and couldn't miss class."

Lanier said he encourages professors to be understanding to students who need to miss a day of class for a religious holiday.

"That's between the instructor and the student, but when faculty call the office, we tell them to be tolerant," Lanier said.

Most UNC-system schools, including East Carolina and Appalachian State universities, also held classes Monday, but school administrators said most professors were willing to work with students wanting to observe Yom Kippur.

Appalachian State Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Bob Shaffer said Yom Kippur observations were not a major issue on campus.

"Our professors are encouraged to support student observances of religious holidays," he said. "I've been here three years, and it's come up once."

ECU Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life Lathan Turner also said he had few problems with students requesting to be dismissed from classes on Yom Kippur, even though ECU held classes. "Our office hasn't received a lot of complaints from students to get days off," he said. "We received an update from the chancellor a few days ago to remind us of the holiday."

Turner said there should be more allowances for religious holidays.

"Personally, I believe we should be able to observe," he said. "Professionally, I think we should urge colleges to do the same."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.