The Undergraduate Assembly formally encouraged the University to expand its policy regarding religious holidays last night.
Under the University's current Secular and Religious Holiday Policy, there are five major religious holidays on which students cannot be required to attend class, given examinations or required to submit assigned work. There are also a number of additional holidays on which students will be given the same privileges if they notify their professor within the first two weeks of the semester.
The UA proposal recommends that holiday privileges be extended to include the day after a few major religious holidays -- namely Easter, the first and last two days of Passover, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.
"The UA decided that students needed more time to properly observe their holiday," UA Secretary Amy Gartenlaub said.
UA Vice Chairwoman and Wharton junior Cynthia Wong added, "The extra day is key because it gives you time to catch up [on schoolwork] and travel."
The UA will also urge the University to more widely publicize their current policy to students and staff, as they have ascertained that many students do not know their rights, and many professors are unaware of students' privileges.
UA member and College senior Klair Spiller was inspired by a personal conflict between holiday and class to draft the proposal. A survey submitted to the entire student body and answered by about 200 students revealed that a number of other students have had difficulties with the University's current policy.
"I just felt that the University should update their code and really fulfill what they're trying to do by having it in place," Spiller said."Right now this policy isn't that widely publicized."
The UA maintains that students will be required to make up work or examinations that they miss.
"We're not asking that students be excused from work or exams," Wong said.
Students whose holidays are not explicitly stated in the University policy or the UA proposal may petition the University for privileges.
The proposal was enthusiastically passed by an overwhelming majority.
