Reminder: Religious holidays observed this month

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is one of the holiest months of the year for Muslim communities. It begins Wednesday, March 22, and continues through Friday, April 21. Eid al-Fatr, the last day of Ramadan, is an official holiday within Islam.

Passover begins the night of Wednesday, April 5, and ends at sundown on Thursday, April 13, this year. In the Jewish community, this is a very sacred time, and many Jewish people observe the first day of Passover with a Seder meal. Some students may observe the Jewish tradition of not being able to work the first two and last two days of the holiday.

Faculty are required to provide students reasonable accommodations to honor their religious identities. It is especially important we honor this obligation as we communicate celebration, affirmation, and inclusion of all the diversity within the Drake community.

Students need to communicate the accommodations they require at the following link, so we can institutionally support clear communication between individual faculty and their students: https://drake.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d5qfVUKtuTQdg7b.

Any instructor with concerns regarding a given holiday, or the academic implications of a particular student’s religious observance, may seek guidance from the chair of their department, dean of their school, or the Provost.

The Comparison Project: We have so much religious diversity on our campus, which means so many opportunities for all of us to expand our learning and grow our attention to inclusion. I encourage you to check out Drake’s very own The Comparison Project for such wonderful opportunities to connect with each other and with diverse communities in Iowa.