Holiday in class?

A good number of students will not be going to class a week from today. And professors owe it to them not to make it a big deal. Next Tuesday, Penn's Jewish community will observe Rosh Hashanah, and in so doing, they should not be penalized.

That's not just an opinion, it's University policy.

And come next week, it is the obligation of faculty and staff at Penn to make sure students' religious beliefs are not trampled.

The University's guidelines on holidays are perfectly clear. "Students who observe these holidays will be given an opportunity to make up missed work in both laboratories and lecture courses." That also includes a provision barring assignments and examinations on these days.

Unfortunately, in the past some professors have been inflexible in accommodating students. As Provost Ron Daniels recently stressed, this cannot be standard operating procedure.

And, of course, this is by no means the only example of where Penn's holiday policy comes into play. Making allowances for students to observe religious or other holidays is vitally important to maintaining a culture of understanding at this university.

The burden falls on professors to be cognizant of this policy, but also on students to be responsible in completing their assignments at hand.

To avoid confusion about the policy, heads of the various departments across the University should send notices to their staff this week about what should be expected next week. Students should also be aware of the rule and proactive in planning ahead.

Penn's holiday policy exists for everyone's benefit. While some may find it inconvenient, the mutual respect that it demonstrates is more valuable than any short-term assignment or quiz.

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