Mar 20, 2012
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New York’s Stony Brook University has decided to no longer cancel classes for major Christian and Jewish holidays in an effort to ensure that some religions aren’t given special treatment and to “afford equal support and equal respect to students and faculty from all faiths.”
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Jewish students would be impacted on Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Passover and Holy Week. Christian students would be impacted on Good Friday. The Christmas holiday is protected under a union contract and occurs when classes are traditionally not in session.
The university had considered allowing faculty to schedule exams on Saturday and Sunday – a time when many students attend worship services. However, that decision was tabled after reaching a compromise with students.
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“As a secular university, as a state-funded university our priority must be to maximize instructional opportunities for our students,” said Charles Robbins, vice provost for undergraduate education. “First and foremost, it’s important to note that while I respect everyone’s concerns, the reality is it’s a relatively small number of people who are upset.”
Robbins told Fox News the university’s decision to stop cancelling classes for Christian and Jewish holidays offers “equal protection under the regulations to everybody and no one is getting quote, unquote, special treatment.”
Robbins, who has a background in social justice, said many religions, including the Muslims and Buddhists have never had their holidays officially recognized by the university.
“Now all segments of our population will be equally recognized,” he said. “It really is the American fair thing to do.”
However, Stonybrook University’s 24,100 undergraduate and graduate students are not as religiously diverse as the vice provost said. According to a report in The Jewish Week, 26 percent consider themselves Roman Catholic, 24 percent consider themselves other Christian, eight percent are Muslim, five percent are Jewish, and five percent are Hindu.
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, told Fox News that the university’s board of trustees should conduct an investigation into the matter.
“The goal here is radical secularism being shoved down the throats of the people at Stony Brook,” he said.
The university’s decision led the school’s Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Catholic and Asian Christian chaplains to write a letter encouraging them to reconsider.
“We’re not taking an adversarial position against the university administration,” Rabbi Joseph Topek told Fox News. He heads the university’s Interfaith Center and wrote the letter with “a heavy heart.”
Topek said the new policy “becomes less respectful of religious diversity instead of more respectful.”
“Rather than ‘respecting all religions equally,’ as we were told the new calendar would do, it will surely be perceived as an attack on student and faculty religious identity and observance,” the letter read. “We fear that this will be seen as making Stony Brook a less tolerant community that seeks conformity over diversity.”
But Robbins disagreed and said the new policy is anything but disrespectful. He said students may still attend and participate in their religious activities. They will also have the ability to make up any class work should they be absent. Faculty members will also be instructed not to assign exams on religious holidays.
“We’re giving more students the ability to practice their faith in any way that they see fit,” Robbins told Fox News.
Donohue also took issue with the university’s contention of religious fairness.
“There are thousands of religions but this country was founded on the Judeo-Christian ethos,” he said. “No one should be apologetic about it. It’s just a matter of giving due tribute to the heritage and the legacy of western civilization. So that argument doesn’t work either.”
A number of faculty and students are outraged over the decision.
“You really have to choose between my faith and my school work and I don’t want to be put in that position,” Aaron Gershoff told CBS News.
Norman Goodman, a professor of sociology, told The Jewish News the policy “stinks.”
“It was done without any input except from the administration – and it was done in secret. It does not take into account the variety of needs of faculty and students and it shows no respect for religion.”
Robbins said the university is undeterred.
“It’s not that we don’t recognize holidays,” he said. It’s that we don’t feel that as a secular and a state institution that we are in a position to decide which holidays to cancel classes for.”
FOX News Talk
If the administration is so stupid that they can not figure out what days to take off for holidays I would look for another university to go to.
I have been disgusted by the “political” correctness being taught at our public schools, since before my son was denied the ability to celebrate the holidays that I hold, and held as important memories and as the things I remember most fondly of my younger school days… events that I never want to forget: Christmas, Halloween, Mayday, dressing in costumes and having parties. Now these celebrations are banned because they either ‘offend’ someone, or because there is not ‘equal’ representation to everyone else’s beliefs and every other culture’s holidays. What is being taught in our school systems is a forecast of the dead societies that resulted from communism. It is teaching our children to be afraid to express themselves and their beliefs. It is teaching our children that the world must be intolerant. We are allowing a minority of over-sensitive people to almost ‘criminalize’ our own European, Judeo-Christian dominated culture that has held sway since conception and has directed the path of this country to greatness.
No, America has a separation of church and state and a constitution, where 51% or more of the population don't get it all their own way. A secular government has nothing to do with Communism no matter how long or how loud you assert it. Moreover, last time you were in charge of things, people like me were put to the sword for simply not believing. America was settled predominantly by Christians, or those who may have claimed to be, but it was founded as a secular nation. Moreover, I would further say that we have indeed progressed a long way but despite Christianity. Thanks to a few hundred years of secular discussion, debate and consensus we no longer burn people at the stake, cut of the hands of thieves or are forced to be ruled by tyrant kings who claim to have been appointed by god etc.
Everyone should try and join with others in a COMPLETE boycott of this so-called "university."
Everyone should try and join with others in a COMPLETE boycott of this so-called "university."
Simple way to fix the problem attend another school, they cannot exist if they have no students if 80% of student changed school administrators would rethink change policy.
Daniel McDowell, you have spoken like a true liberal. Why is it when one don’t understand something, You use personnel attack by calling the other you don’t even know… a goon? That’s ignorance on your part… I have worked on Christmas day, can’t say I enjoyed it by being apart from my family on that day. I try to envision a day when All Americans having to work on that day? No meaning to Christmas anymore. What kind of world would it be? I for one look forward to that time of the season, Men’s hearts are softened and Lives are truly Changed. Is your heart empty Sir?
Hmmm, isn't Holy Week a Christian observance?
Funny how Christmas, the big money-maker Christian holiday, is protected. Hmmmm.
So now it really is freedom *From* religion instead of freedom of religion. How proud the founders must be.
This is something students should address when looking at colleges to attend. You are putting students in the position of lower grades/missing tests and lectures vs. adhering to their beliefs. How stupid can some.
"educated" people be!
Only Communism is honored. Everyone gets the day off for Karl Marx's birthday.
STUDENTS of Stony Brook: a heads up… it is my understanding that less than 15% (+/-) of SUNY Universities annual budgets come from NYS Government and 85% come from you Students (and alumni and other giving)… therefore you Students should decide what you want… through the advice of your parents, alumni, trusted faculty and your student government… you should figure out what you want, vote on it and make it so.
How can Mr. Charles Robbins, vice provost for undergraduate education at Stony Brook, whose background is in social justice, be trusted to make an un-bias decision of this magnitude and without any Student or Faculty input? Who overturns 100 plus years of tradition for the sake of his version of what is politically correct?
Mr. Robbins, tell us it’s in the name of saving money or some other understandable economically justified cause, but please don’t try to white wash it with your righteously indignant blather of it’s not fair, it’s not equal (quote: “Now all segments of our population will be equally recognized,” he said. “It really is the American fair thing to do.”). I say, if it isn’t broken… don’t fix it!
Thank You Stony Brook University for Honoring Christian & Jews. God Jehovah sais in His HOLY BIBLE, Gen. 12:3 I Will Bless Thoes Who Bless You & Curse Thoes Who Curse You. You Have Commanded A Blessing your way. Praise God Jehovah. Thank You Lord Jesus Amen!
It goes without saying "When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan." Proverbs 29:2. Not to mention that they did it in secret, cowards, they can't even face being shut down even when this could have been addresses civilly. If there about the betterment of people, then, get the people involved. let them decide.
Just more proof Stony Brook is run by China. It's just a matter of time until the religous clubs will be baned. Communism at its finest!!!
Will they be cancelled (Hypocritically of course) for Ramadan? Or some other Muslim Holiday? I'd love to be a fly on the wall if those are out too, when the Muslim comes in to make a complaint! (By the way how do Muslims feel about Same-Sex Unions? When will they jmp on the bad-wagion and allow them to be performed in their mosqes? Or how about allowing fellow Homosexual muslims to kiss in their Islamic restraunts? Perhaps THEY need a Kiss-In.
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