Congress Addresses Attendance, Religion

Congress passed the resolution at its last meeting, and Tony Larson, former speaker of Congress, said he plans to sign the resolution soon.

Larson said he was approached by a student who was upset with the policy. He said the student told him that Chancellor James Moeser had come to speak at N.C. Hillel and said the attendance policy only encourages -- rather than requires -- faculty to allow students to miss classes to observe religious holidays.

Speaker Carey Richter will take the resolution to the Faculty Council next semester. She said although Congress can't force any changes, she hopes the council will take the resolution seriously.

"Their policy hasn't been updated since 1957, and this is just a statement," Richter said. "This is just a statement on behalf of the student body that it is out-dated."

Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff wasn't available for comment Monday.

Larson said Congress thinks the policy is unfair because the University calendar seems to shadow the Christian calendar. Breaks fall on Christmas, Easter and Good Friday, while people of other religions are forced to choose between class and their faith.

"The breaks are called Winter Break and such, but they always fall on these holidays while other religions aren't accommodated," Larson said.

Mitchell Kaye, a member of N.C. Hillel, said that most faculty members are flexible but that he has friends who had professors who weren't accommodating.

Kaye said in previous years, Jewish students had to break their Sabbath -- a day on which one is not supposed to work -- because exams were scheduled on Saturdays. "I don't think anyone should suffer penalty for observing their faith," Kaye said. "But I don't think the holidays should all be days off because we would never go to school."

Larson said he thinks the policy needs to be changed to ensure that people of all faiths have the ability to practice their religion without jeopardizing their grades. "All it needs is a change in the language to make it not just encouraged -- so that if a student comes to a faculty member ahead of time, they can be assured they can practice their faith," he said.

But Larson also said Congress understands that all this must be done within reason. "We are not asking for them to write the calendar around every single religious holiday," Larson said. "We just want them to allow students to practice their faith unpenalized."

Larson said this is the first resolution of its kind that he could remember Student Congress passing. But both Larson and Richter said they believe the Faculty Council will think seriously about the resolution. Richter said, "They've been great this year in terms of student concerns."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.