With winter break now underway, students at Salt Lake Community College can finally kick their feet up and celebrate the holidays, easing their way into the spring semester. However, some students cannot say the same with their respective celebrations.
Because not everyone celebrates Christmas, widely observed in the West, not everyone gets a break from school in line with their religion or ethnic background, as most schools in the United States emphasize traditional American holidays.
“When [my children] were younger, it was easier for me to celebrate Jewish holidays because I was able to get them out of school without missing much work,” said Tina Wollenberger, a mother of two. “But as my children got older, it became extremely difficult for me to get them to miss school for a holiday [like Hanukkah].”
SLCC currently does not list Hanukkah on its holiday calendar.
“It would be great if they could acknowledge at least two holidays with time off,” Wollenberger said. “To celebrate the proper way, you need days to prepare, and unfortunately, those days aren’t given to us.”
This year, Hanukkah took place from Dec. 7–15, encompassing finals week. Some students, instead of having time off and relaxation, were faced with schoolwork and stress. Looking past the winter break, other holidays also come into question.
“I absolutely love celebrating Ramadan with my family and friends, but unfortunately, school makes it incredibly difficult for me to feel free and open to [putting] my religious beliefs first,” psychology major Muhammad Amin said.
Participating in Ramadan is one of the main pillars of Islam, so Muslim students like Amin are usually unable to opt out of the month-long fast that takes place in the spring. Ramadan 2024 is set for the tail end of the upcoming semester, meaning certain students may have to take stressful finals on an empty stomach.
“I’ve been aware of the prejudice towards myself and other religions since I was a little girl. It hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years, sadly,” Wollenberger said.
Suzanne Jacobs, professor of religious studies at SLCC, said the college practices inclusivity in different ways to support its students and employees, mainly in the form of school groups and ethical standards.
“There are many clubs, committees, activities, events, lectures and offices that represent the voices of minorities and respect their stories and their success … Faculty are held to curriculum and professional standards that honor this as well,” Jacobs said.
However, school boards still haven’t given minorities and other religions time off for their respective celebrations. One problem is that many religions have an abundance of holy days, which comes into conflict with the minimum number of teaching days that school boards set each year.
Institutions have yet to find a functional, in-stone solution to this problem, but many schools are nonetheless trying to find the right balance of equality for all students.
“What makes more sense [is] if professors provide accommodations like excused absences for religious obligations,” Jacobs said. “Whether that is for a whole group of students or just one wanting time off.”
In an article for Inside Higher Ed, Noah Silverman, senior director of learning at Interfaith America, said it’s important for institutions to have visible policies and to ensure that they’re broad enough to encompass unforeseen challenges.
“I think the policies ought to be enforceable in such a way to know that even if this thing that you’re requesting or that we need doesn’t exist now, [schools] are committed institutionally to providing it,” Silverman said.
